I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6508 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the public disclosure 
of charges for certain hospital and ambulatory surgical center treatment 
episodes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 25, 2018 
Mr. LIPINSKI introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for 
the public disclosure of charges for certain hospital and 
ambulatory surgical center treatment episodes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hospital Price Trans-
parency and Disclosure Act of 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF HOSPITAL DATA. 
Part B of title II of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 238 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new section: 
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‘‘DATA REPORTING BY HOSPITALS AND AMBULATORY 
SURGICAL CENTERS AND PUBLIC POSTING 
‘‘SEC. 249. (a) SEMIANNUAL REPORTING REQUIRE-
MENT.—Not later than 80 days after the end of each semi-
annual period beginning January 1 or July 1 (beginning 
more than one year after the date of the enactment of 
this section), a hospital and an ambulatory surgical center 
shall report to the Secretary the following data: 
‘‘(1) In the case of a hospital— 
‘‘(A) the frequency of occurrence for such 
hospital during such period of each treatment 
episode identified under subsection (c)(1) for a 
condition or disease selected under subpara-
graph (A) or (B) of such subsection (or up-
dated under subsection (c)(3)), furnished in an 
inpatient or outpatient setting, respectively; and 
‘‘(B) if care was furnished for such a 
treatment episode by such hospital during such 
period— 
‘‘(i) the total number of such treat-
ment episodes for which care was so fur-
nished by the hospital during such period; 
‘‘(ii) the insured individual average 
charge (as computed under subsection 
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(e)(3)) by the hospital for such treatment 
episode during such period; and 
‘‘(iii) the uninsured individual average 
charge (as computed under subsection 
(e)(4)) by the hospital for such treatment 
episode during such period. 
‘‘(2) In the case of an ambulatory surgical cen-
ter— 
‘‘(A) the frequency of occurrence for such 
center during such period of each treatment 
episode identified under subsection (c)(1) for a 
condition or disease selected under subpara-
graph (C) of such subsection (or updated under 
subsection (c)(3)); and 
‘‘(B) if care was furnished for such a 
treatment episode by such center during such 
period— 
‘‘(i) the total number of such treat-
ment episodes for which care was so fur-
nished by the center during such period; 
‘‘(ii) the insured individual average 
charge (as computed under subsection 
(e)(3)) by the center for such episode dur-
ing such period; and 
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‘‘(iii) the uninsured individual average 
charge (as computed under subsection 
(e)(4)) by the center for such episode dur-
ing such period. 
‘‘(b) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF DATA.— 
‘‘(1) PUBLIC
POSTING
OF
DATA.—The Sec-
retary shall promptly post, on the official public 
Internet site of the Department of Health and 
Human Services, the data reported under subsection 
(a) and an appropriate link, with respect to a hos-
pital or center for which the data is reported, to 
other consumer quality information maintained on 
such site (or a site maintained by the Centers for 
Medicare & Medicaid Services) relating to the hos-
pital or center. Such data shall be set forth in a 
manner that promotes charge comparison among 
hospitals and among ambulatory surgical centers. 
‘‘(2) NOTICE
OF
AVAILABILITY.—A hospital 
and an ambulatory surgical center shall prominently 
post at each admission site of the hospital or center 
a notice of the availability of the data reported 
under subsection (a) on the official public Internet 
site under paragraph (1). 
‘‘(c) SPECIFICATION OF TREATMENT EPISODES.— 
For purposes of this section: 
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