Ohioans would be able to learn the bottom-line cost of their scheduled hospital care — and their out-of-pocket share of the bill — in advance under a bill passed unanimously by the Ohio Senate on Wednesday.
Senate Bill 97, sponsored by Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, would require hospitals to provide a “reasonable, good faith” cost estimate, or price range, of scheduled services at the advance request of patients beginning July 1, 2021.
The information must include an estimate of out-of-pocket costs and whether other costs, such as physician or anesthesiology services, will be billed separately. Hospitals would also be required to warn patients if they are out of their insurer’s network to prevent so-called “surprise billing.” Patients would have to request cost estimates at least seven days in advance.
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