A new Colorado law prohibits hospitals that haven’t posted their prices from suing patients over unpaid bills.
, which Gov. Jared Polis signed on June 9, prohibits hospitals that haven’t posted the required price information from sending patients’ debt to collections, suing them or reporting the debt to entities that calculate credit scores.
The law still puts the onus on patients to take action if a hospital isn’t complying, but it gives them the right to go to court, which is progress, said Cynthia Fisher, founder of PatientRightsAdvocate.org. If hospitals do comply, that also gives the patient some ability to challenge their bill with the billing department by pointing to the price list, or to shop around and ask for a price match if they do their research in advance, she said.
Bob Smith, founder of the Colorado Business Group on Health, said the law will give hospitals a financial incentive to be transparent, allowing employers to decide which locations they want in their insurance networks and how much they’re willing to pay.estimated Colorado had the 12th-highest hospital prices, as a percentage of what Medicare would pay, in the country.
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