Wyoming committee advances hospital pricing transparency bill after trimming collection and penalty provisions

House Bill 121, a hospital pricing transparency measure, cleared the Labor, Health & Social Services Committee on a 4-1 vote after lawmakers narrowed enforcement provisions and added an exemption for county- or district-funded hospitals.

The bill would require hospitals to publish a consumer-facing menu that lists actual dollar amounts for services — a change sponsors said goes beyond current federal rulemaking by showing "dollars and cents" rather than less-consumable data. Representative Daniel Singh, the bill's prime sponsor, told the committee the state standard is intended as consumer protection: "The main difference in this bill from what exists in federal rule making would be the dollars and cents aspect of this." (Representative Daniel Singh, State Representative, House District 61)

Committee members debated whether the bill would…