House panel backs bill to codify hospital price-transparency rule; directs state health agency enforcement

CHEYENNE — The House Labor, Health & Social Services Committee on Tuesday recommended a due pass for House Bill 121, a bill to codify and require enforcement of hospital price-transparency requirements in Wyoming.

The bill would direct the Wyoming Department of Health to develop rules and a standardized form for hospitals to publish minimum and maximum negotiated charges, to perform compliance reviews and to enforce corrective action plans and civil money penalties for noncompliant facilities.

The measure’s sponsor, Representative Daniel Singh, told the committee the bill is intended to ensure “consumer protection” if federal policy changes. “I think it would be imperative for us to get those in our own books,” Singh said during his presentation, citing recent federal policy changes that he said have weakened earlier requirements.

Why it matters: Supporters said state enforcement is needed because federal enforcement by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has been limited and CMS guidance has allowed estimates rather than fixed, dollars-and-cents prices in some instances. Advocates said that lack of enforceable state requirements has left patients exposed to unexpectedly large bills.

What was said to…