# Plain Language Summary: Patients Deserve Price Tags Act

This bill requires hospitals and medical laboratories to publicly post their prices online so patients can see what they'll be charged before getting care. Right now, hospital pricing is often hidden—you might not know the cost of a procedure until you get a bill weeks later. This law says hospitals must publish what they charge for services, including what they negotiate with insurance companies, what they charge uninsured patients who pay cash, and what the actual list price is. The information has to be updated monthly and presented in a way that's easy for regular people to understand and compare, not buried in complicated medical jargon.

The bill applies to all hospitals, including small rural ones and critical access hospitals. By January 2026, hospitals must start showing prices for at least 300 "shoppable services"—things you can schedule in advance like certain surgeries or tests—and eventually all services. Hospitals also have to post their charity care policies so people know if they qualify for financial assistance. A senior hospital official has to sign off on the accuracy of these prices, making them legally responsible if the information is wrong. If a hospital doesn't comply, it faces daily fines that increase based on hospital size, ranging from $300 per day for tiny hospitals to $35 per bed per day for large ones. Hospitals that repeatedly ignore the rules face even steeper penalties, up to $10 million.

The bill also extends similar requirements to clinical diagnostic laboratories (places that do blood tests and other lab work) starting July 2027. Labs must post prices for their tests online, including what they charge for cash-paying patients and what insurance companies negotiate. Like hospitals, labs must accept their posted cash price as full payment from patients who want to pay out of pocket. The goal is to give patients real shopping power—if you know Hospital A charges $5,000 for a procedure and Hospital B charges $3,000, you can make an informed choice about where to get care, assuming you have that option.