SB 811 Summary

• Requires Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange to establish and maintain a consumer health information website comparing quality, price, and cost of health care services, with data on allowed amounts, out-of-pocket costs, and provider quality metrics by July 1, 2016.

• Prohibits health care providers and insurers from blocking disclosure of billing amounts, reimbursement rates, or data to an all-payer claims database, and requires hospitals to notify patients of cost and quality information at time of scheduling for non-emergency procedures.

• Limits "surprise bills" by requiring insureds to pay only in-network cost-sharing for out-of-network emergency services and non-emergency services at in-network facilities, with insurers reimbursing providers at specified rates.

• Establishes a State-wide Health Information Exchange to enable secure electronic health record sharing among providers and patients, with hospitals and clinical laboratories required to connect within one to two years of launch.

• Regulates hospital facility fees by requiring advance notice to patients, limiting fees for off-campus facilities and uninsured patients to Medicare rates effective January 1, 2017, and imposing enhanced certificate of need review requirements for hospital ownership transfers involving large health systems.