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Senate shifts health‑price transparency tool to State Auditor, adds median‑price publication
Summary
Senate adopted a substitute for House Bill 178 that places management of a statewide health‑price transparency tool and certain financial transparency website duties with the State Auditor, and requires publishing median paid amounts for top procedures; sponsors said the changes have no net fiscal impact because funding will be moved as part of budget adjustments.
Senators debated and adopted a substitute to House Bill 178 that changes which state office will operate the public health‑price transparency functions. Senator Hemmert explained the second substitute would require the State Auditor to manage the official financial transparency site and to create a health‑price transparency tool, including publication of the median paid amount for the 50 highest‑volume procedures in Utah.
Hemmert said the work was already underway in the auditor’s office and that the substitute moves existing funds rather than increasing overall spending: "It requires the state auditor to manage the financial transparency website, which is officially known as the Utah Public Finance website," he told the chamber. He also said the substitute contains intent language to coordinate the tool with other transparency efforts and that the state auditor supports the changes.
The Senate adopted the second substitute and passed the bill under suspension of the rules. Floor sponsors emphasized the change was meant to consolidate transparency work in one office and to publish usable median‑price information to help consumers comparison‑shop.
The bill will return to the House for any final actions or reconciliation; sponsors said the substitute had no new fiscal impact because funding would be transferred and matched in the budget process.
