Bill > HB244

This bill, titled the Hospital Price Transparency Act, mandates that hospitals must make pricing information for their services and items publicly available on their websites. This includes providing a machine-readable file of standard charges (the regular rates for services before any discounts) and either a consumer-friendly list of at least 300 "shoppable services" (services that can be scheduled in advance) with specific prices or an online tool for personalized cost estimates. The Health Care Authority (authority) will oversee and enforce this act, with hospitals found to be non-compliant facing potential corrective action plans. Crucially, if a hospital is not in compliance with this act on the date a service is provided, it cannot pursue collection actions (like debt collection or lawsuits) against the patient for that service, and patients will have an affirmative defense against such actions, potentially leading to the dismissal of the case, refunds, and reimbursement of legal fees. Furthermore, before initiating any collection action, hospitals must provide patients with an itemized statement of the debt, receipts, information on language assistance, and contact details for discussing billing issues. Violating this act will be considered an unfair or deceptive trade practice under existing law.

https://www.nmlegis.gov/Legislation/Legislation?chamber=H&legtype=B&legno=244&year=26