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Senate committee debates state enforcement for federal hospital price‑transparency rule; amendment to exempt state hospital passes
Summary
The Senate Human Services Committee heard hospital officials and administrators describe technical and operational barriers to implementing the federal hospital price‑transparency rule. The committee adopted a technical amendment to exempt the state hospital and later voted to recommend 'do not pass' on House Bill 1594 as amended.
The Senate Human Services Committee on Tuesday debated House Bill 1594, a measure that would mirror federal rules requiring hospitals to post price data, but add state enforcement provisions.
Supporters and opponents agreed the federal rule requires hospitals to publish a ChargeMaster and a list of so‑called "shoppable services," but hospital officials and administrators told the committee that converting those federal requirements into a usable consumer tool is technically complex and operationally burdensome.
"Hospitals are required to post their charges... I believe, a list of and don't quote me on this but I think 300 shoppable services," Tim Blaso, president of the North Dakota Hospital Association, told the committee, describing how the federal requirement is structured and why the posted data can be confusing for patients. Blaso said many hospitals post ChargeMaster files and use vendors or consultants to validate…
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