Healthcare Consumers Want Hospital Price Transparency, Survey Finds

Healthcare consumers support price transparency, with many wanting hospitals to publish actual prices in advance, not estimates, according to a survey from PatientRightsAdvocate.org.

The survey, conducted by the Marist Poll between December 13 and December 14, 2023, and sponsored by the Patient Rights Advocate, Inc., reflects responses from 1,130 adults across the country.

The majority of respondents (94 percent) agree that healthcare organizations—including hospitals, doctors, and insurance companies—should be legally required to disclose all of their prices online in an easily accessible place. Prices consist of discounted prices, cash prices, and insurance-negotiated rates across hospitals and plans.

Similarly, 93 percent of consumers agreed that hospitals should be required to post their actual prices in advance of planned care, not just estimates. Most respondents (92 percent) also said hospitals should have to honor their actual price quotes and ensure the bill reflects the prices that were agreed upon.

If consumers could access the actual prices of services before receiving care, 91 percent said they would use the prices to compare hospitals and choose the highest quality care at the lowest price. Additionally, 88 percent of respondents said they would be more likely to seek routine and elective healthcare if they had access to prices in advance and were able to compare prices across facilities.

Consumers also believe that improving price transparency could help lower health insurance costs, as it would increase competition between providers and between health plans, the survey indicated.

Around three in five consumers (59 percent) reported that they had previously put off medical care because they were unaware of the costs.

Adults want Congress to address the issue of hospital price transparency. A third of respondents think passing a law ensuring consumers have access to transparent pricing should be a top priority for Congress.

In addition, 90 percent of respondents said they would be more likely to support an elected official if they demanded hospitals and insurance companies disclose their actual prices.

Multiple legislative plans have been introduced to Congress to improve price transparency. For example, in December 2023, the US House of Representatives passed the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act, and the Health Care Prices Revealed and Information to Consumers Explained Transparency Act was introduced in the Senate.

According to July 2023 data from the Patient Rights Advocate, almost two-thirds of 2,000 hospitals were not complying with the federal hospital price transparency requirements. The requirements took effect on January 1, 2021.