ALEC Policy Champions Ensure Health Care Price Transparency for Oklahoma Patients
Sen. Casey Murdock and Rep. Mark Lepak’s hard work has positioned Oklahoma as the best state in the country for transparent health care pricing.
ALEC is proud to recognize Oklahoma Sen. Casey Murdock and Rep. Mark Lepak for their leadership in passing SB 889, one of the strongest health care price transparency laws in the country.
SB 889, which mirrors ALEC’s Hospital Price Transparency Act model, requires hospitals to publish a list of all standard charges for all hospital items or services offered in a machine-readable, consumer-friendly format. Each item or service must include the gross charge, the discounted cash price, and the insurer-negotiated prices in an easily identifiable and accessible position on the provider’s site.
The legislation also protects patients by prohibiting hospitals from initiating debt collection actions if a hospital was not in compliance with price transparency requirements at the time the treatments or services were offered.
Recognizing the need for more transparency in health care, President Trump signed Executive Order 13877, requiring hospitals to post actual prices, not estimates, and directing the appropriate agencies to issue guidance ensuring data is standardized and easily comparable across hospitals and health plans. Through their dedication to serving Oklahoma, Sen. Murdock and Rep. Lepak and their colleagues aligned their state’s healthcare legislation with Trump’s executive order, allowing for state enforcement of these new transparency requirements.
Patients deserve clear pricing from hospitals that allows them to shop for the best price and provider to fit their budget and health care needs. Sen. Casey Murdock and Rep. Mark Lepak’s hard work has positioned Oklahoma as the best state in the country for transparent health care pricing, and we are proud to name them ALEC Policy Champions!