Hospital and ASC Price Disclosure and Litigation Protection Act of 2008

Bill: 110-hr-6015
Sponsor: Rep. Sessions, Pete [R-TX-32]
Introduced: 2008-05-08 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Ambulatory care
Civil actions and liability
Commerce
Consumer discounts
Consumer education
Contracts
Department of Health and Human Services
Drugs
Electronic government information
Employee health benefits
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Health facilities
Health insurance
Health maintenance organizations
Hospital care
Hospital rates
Hospitals
Labor and Employment
Law
Liability (Law)
Managed care
Medicaid
Medical fees
Medical statistics
Medical supplies
Medically uninsured
Medicare
Patients' rights
Science, Technology, Communications
Signs and signboards
Social Welfare
Surgery

Summary:
action_date: 2008-05-08
text: 
Hospital and ASC Price Disclosure and Litigation Protection Act of 2008 - Prohibits a charge-related legal action from being brought by an individual against a hospital or ambulatory surgical center if the hospital or center: (1) has met the requirements under this Act; (2) has entered into an agreement with the uninsured individual before treatment that sets the maximum price that will be charged for such treatment; and (3) has met the terms of such agreement.

Sets forth disclosures that a hospital or center must provide to an individual who is scheduled to receive treatment and include in any itemized bill, including: (1) the estimated price or the price charged for the treatment; (2) the payment rate for the treatment negotiated with the network plan or managed care plan that has the largest number of enrollees; and (3) the Medicare payment rate for the treatment. Excludes from such requirements a treatment for which there exists a third-party price arrangement unless the individual involved requests such information.

Requires a hospital or ambulatory surgical center to report data to the Secretary of Health and Human Services regarding: (1) the frequency of performing certain services and administering certain drugs; (2) the charge by the hospital or center for such services or drugs; (3) the negotiated rate of payment for the treatment by the plan with the largest number of enrollees; and (4) the Medicare payment rate for the treatment.

Requires the Secretary to: (1) publicly post such information on the Internet in a manner that promotes charge comparisons among hospitals and centers; and (2) select which services or drugs are to be reported based on the frequency with which the services are performed or the drugs are administered.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-05-12
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2008-05-08
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2008-05-08
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2008-05-08
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2008-05-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2008-05-08
text: Introduced in House