Do you agree that patients should have the right to know healthcare costs before they have a procedure? Do you think price transparency would provide a fundamental step toward a fairer, more efficient system?

If so, you might be interested to learn that a landmark law requiring hospitals and insurers to publish their prices passed Congress three years ago with strong bipartisan support. 

Yet, the reality remains daunting: only 21% of 2000 hospitals reviewed are meeting federal compliance; 100 million Americans grapple with medical debt; hospitals in 21 states sue patients over unpaid bills. The call for transparency and enforcement has never been more urgent.

Cynthia Fisher, Founder and Chairman of Patients RightsAdvocate.org, led a powerful conversation at a recent Sanders Institute Gathering on transforming healthcare through price transparency. Cynthia and her fellow panelists provided unprecedented information about how medical expenses are inflated, why price transparency is such a critical issue and how important enforcement measures are to curbing ever-rising healthcare costs.

Across the country, price transparency is reshaping healthcare by revealing the true costs of medical services, empowering patients to make informed choices, and pushing down healthcare costs.

Efforts to enforce real-price disclosures are already making a difference.

– Patients avoid surprise bills and have the power to choose affordable care.

– Some states have implemented transparency initiatives that have saved millions, making healthcare more accessible and affordable.

– Unions, organizations and communities are leveraging transparency to negotiate better healthcare rates, investing the savings back into community programs and employee benefits.

– Through technology and advocacy, patients have tools to understand costs upfront, making healthcare a more equitable system for everyone.

What can you do?

Together, we can ensure a healthcare system that serves everyone—transparent, fair, and within reach.