Gaps In Transparency Rules Threaten to Unravel Consumer Protections

By Consumers For Quality Care, on August 25, 2021

According to Castlight Health CEO Maeve O’Meara, critical gaps in the new price transparency rules for health care providers could prove costly for patients.

“If these rules aren’t implemented in a meaningful way for consumers, the efforts will likely fail to inform health care decision making and achieve the desired levels of cost savings,” wrote O’Meara.

Ambiguity around how the rules will be implemented, incomplete guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), unclear enforcement protocols, and fast approaching implementation deadlines are some of the key challenges standing between consumers, employers, and the meaningful transparency reform the ‘No Surprises Act’ was crafted to deliver.

A recent poll found that only 4 percent of employers felt prepared for the new requirements, while 55 percent felt there were not adequately prepared.

CQC urges lawmakers to ensure that transparency requirements are adhered to and that consumers have access to the pricing information they need to make smart health care decisions.