Changes are coming to hospitals around the country.
Starting Jan. 1, hospitals will have to list prices for standard services as part of a new federal rule.
"We wanna make sure people have information about cost so that there’s no surprises, many people are in a high deductible health plan so it’s really important that they can budget for their health care," says Jill Syracuse, Executive Vice President of Member Services at Independent Health in Williamsville. “I see no drawbacks to this, I think it’s a step in the right direction, I think it’s a step in the right direction for the consumer. It’s a small step that really allows people to have that information, some of the other hospitals were already providing it so think it will continue to go further.”
Patients will be able to compare prices online before getting treatment.
Some consumer advocates say even though the lists will be beneficial, it doesn't do enough to inform patients about adjusted costs due to insurance and other factors.
