Transparent Health Care Pricing Act of 2018

Transparent Health Care Pricing Act of 2018

This bill requires entities that offer or furnish health care related products or services to the public to disclose the price for those products and services at the point of purchase and on the Internet. The entities must disclose all prices, including wholesale, retail, and discounted prices, that are accepted as payment in full for products and services furnished to individual consumers.

The Department of Health and Human Services may investigate and impose civil penalties on entities that fail to comply with this requirement.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4808 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4808

            To promote transparency in health care pricing.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 16, 2018

Mr. Perlmutter (for himself and Mr. Gallagher) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
            To promote transparency in health care pricing.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Transparent Health Care Pricing Act 
of 2018''.

SEC. 2. TRANSPARENCY IN ALL HEALTH CARE PRICING.

    (a) In General.--Any and all individuals or business entities, 
including hospitals, physicians, nurses, pharmacies, pharmaceutical 
manufacturers, dentists, and any other health care related providers or 
suppliers that offer or furnish health care related items, products, 
services, or procedures (as defined by the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services) for sale to the public shall publicly disclose, on a 
continuous basis, all prices for such items, products, services, or 
procedures in accordance with this section.
    (b) Manner of Disclosure.--The disclosure required under subsection 
(a) shall--
            (1) be made in an open and conspicuous manner;
            (2) be made available at the point of purchase, in print, 
        and on the Internet; and
            (3) include all wholesale, retail, subsidized, discounted, 
        or other such prices the individuals or business entities 
        described in such subsection accept as payment in full for 
        items, products, services, or procedures such individuals or 
        business entities furnish to individual consumers.
    (c) Penalties.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services may 
investigate any and all individuals or business entities that fail to 
comply with the requirements of this section and may impose on such 
individuals or business entities civil fines, or other civil penalties, 
as determined appropriate by the Secretary.
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