CS for SB 1496 - Transparency in Health Care

• Licensed health care facilities must provide timely financial information and quality measures to patients through websites displaying payment data for service bundles, with estimated average payments and payment ranges excluded from Medicaid and Medicare.

• Facilities and health care practitioners must provide written good faith estimates of charges within 7 business days upon request before nonemergency services, with daily fines of $1,000 (capped at $10,000 for facilities, $500 capped at $5,000 for practitioners) for failure to provide timely estimates.

• Itemized patient statements or bills must include facility fees, payment status, amounts due, cost-sharing information, and notice of potential separate billing by other providers; facilities must respond to billing questions within 7 business days and provide verification records within 10 business days.

• Agency for Health Care Administration must contract with a vendor to establish an Internet-based price transparency platform allowing consumers to research and compare health care service costs by searchable bundles without requiring registration or passwords.

• Health insurers, health maintenance organizations, and managed care plans participating in state group health insurance or Medicaid must contribute all Florida claims data to the contracted transparency vendor; consumer advocate gains authority to investigate billing complaints and mediate disputes between providers and patients.