Bill > S1496

This bill aims to increase transparency in healthcare by requiring various healthcare providers and facilities to provide more detailed financial and quality information to patients. Specifically, licensed healthcare facilities must offer timely and accurate financial information and quality of service measures, including making payment data for service bundles available on their websites and providing written estimates of anticipated charges for non-emergency services within seven business days of a request. Home health agencies and home medical equipment providers are also mandated to provide written estimates of charges upon request within the same timeframe. Additionally, healthcare practitioners must provide patients with a written, good-faith estimate of anticipated charges for services within seven business days of a request. The bill also mandates that facilities provide itemized statements or bills in plain language within seven days of discharge or request, detailing specific services and expenses, and clarifies that the Florida Center for Health Information and Policy Analysis is renamed the Florida Center for Health Information and Transparency to reflect its expanded role in collecting and disseminating health-related data and promoting price comparison platforms. Penalties are introduced for non-compliance, including daily fines for facilities failing to provide estimates and administrative fines for unconscionable prices. Health insurers and health maintenance organizations (HMOs) are required to provide policyholders with tools to estimate cost-sharing responsibilities and must contribute claims data to a statewide platform. The bill also includes provisions for the state group insurance program and managed care plans to contribute claims data and comply with transparency requirements.