Bill Details
S.729 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-02-25 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Introduced Date
2025-02-25
Policy Area
Health
Committees
View committees (1)
Sponsors
5
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would make hospitals more accountable for posting clear price information online. It requires hospitals to publish and update their price lists on a set schedule, makes it harder for them to hide that information from search engines, and adds financial penalties for hospitals that do not comply. The bill also directs the government to post a public list of hospitals that are not following the rules.
- Hospitals already operating when the bill becomes law would have to post and update their price lists within 6 months, and then every year after that.
- Hospitals that open after the law takes effect would also have to start within 6 months of beginning operations, then keep updating the list yearly.
- Hospitals would not be allowed to use website code or other tricks to keep their price information from showing up in online search results.
- Hospitals that fail to comply could face daily fines based on size: up to $600 per day for small hospitals, $20 per bed per day for mid-sized hospitals, or up to $11,000 per day for very large hospitals.
The bill also says the Health and Human Services Secretary must publish a public list of hospitals that are not in compliance, starting 280 days after the law is enacted and then every 180 days after that.
Official Summaries
Hospital Transparency Compliance Enforcement Act
This bill increases the monetary penalties for noncompliance with the requirement that hospitals publish, and periodically update, a list of their standard charges for items and services.
The bill increases the maximum daily penalty as follows:
- for hospitals with 30 or fewer beds, from $300 to $600 per day;
- for hospitals with 31 through 550 beds, from $10 to $20 per bed, per day;
- for hospitals with greater than 550 beds, from $5,500 to $11,000 per hospital, per day.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services also must periodically publish the name of each hospital that is not in compliance with the price transparency requirements.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 729 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 729
To amend the Public Health Service Act to enhance compliance with
hospital price transparency requirements, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 25, 2025
Mr. Kennedy introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to enhance compliance with
hospital price transparency requirements, and for other purposes.
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 ``Hospital Transparency Compliance
Enforcement Act''.
SEC. 2. HOSPITAL PRICE TRANSPARENCY REQUIREMENTS.
Section 2718(e) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-
18(e)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``Each hospital'' and inserting the
following:
``(1) In general.--Each hospital'';
(2) by inserting ``, in accordance with paragraph (2)'',
after ``for each year''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) Timing requirements.--
``(A) In general.--Each hospital operating in the
United States on the date of enactment of the Hospital
Transparency Compliance Enforcement Act shall, not
later than 6 months after such date of enactment and
every year thereafter, establish (and update) and make
public the list under paragraph (1).
``(B) Newly operating hospitals.--In the case of a
hospital that begins operating in the United States
after the date of enactment of the Hospital
Transparency Compliance Enforcement Act, the hospital
shall comply with the requirements described in
subparagraph (A) not later than 6 months after the date
on which the hospital begins such operation and every
year thereafter.
``(3) Prohibition on shielding information.--No hospital
may shield the information required under paragraph (1) from
online search results through webpage coding.
``(4) Civil monetary penalties.--
``(A) In general.--A hospital that fails to comply
with the requirements of this subsection for a year
shall be subject to a civil monetary penalty of an
amount not to exceed--
``(i) in the case of a hospital with a bed
count of 30 or fewer, $600 for each day in
which the hospital fails to comply with such
requirements;
``(ii) in the case of a hospital with a bed
count that is greater than 30 and equal to or
fewer than 550, $20 per bed for each day in
which the hospital fails to comply with such
requirements; or
``(iii) in the case of a hospital with a
bed count that is greater than 550, $11,000 for
each day in which the hospital fails to comply
with such requirements.
``(B) Procedures.--
``(i) In general.--Except as otherwise
provided in this subsection, a civil monetary
penalty under subparagraph (A) shall be imposed
and collected in accordance with part 180 of
title 45, Code of Federal Regulations (or
successor regulations).
``(ii) Timing.--A hospital shall pay in
full a civil monetary penalty imposed on the
hospital under subparagraph (A) not later
than--
``(I) 60 calendar days after the
date on which the Secretary issues a
notice of the imposition of such
penalty; or
``(II) in the event the hospital
requests a hearing pursuant to subpart
D of part 180 of title 45, Code of
Federal Regulations (or successor
regulations), 60 calendar days after
the date of a final and binding
decision in accordance with such
subpart, to uphold, in whole or in
part, the civil monetary penalty.
``(5) List of hospitals not in compliance.--The Secretary
shall publish a list of the name of each hospital that is not
in compliance with the requirements under this subsection. Such
list shall be published 280 days after the date of enactment of
the Hospital Transparency Compliance Enforcement Act and every
180 days thereafter.''.
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