The nation’s teaching hospitals and health systems support making patient out-of-pocket cost estimates easier to access and understand, providing patients with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their health care. However, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ rule that requires making negotiated rates and other pricing information public does not accomplish that goal. The Dec. 29 decision to uphold the District Court rejection of hospitals’ challenge to the rule is a disappointing outcome for American’s hospitals and health systems, and the decision to decline a stay in enforcement ignores the burden the rule imposes on hospitals at a time when they continue to grapple with the surge in COVID-19 patients across the country.
Read More: Opinion from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Read More: Statement from American Hospital Association