A new report says 18 Minnesota hospitals are not following federal rules meant to show patients what their care will cost.
This comes after the Trump administration recently warned more than 500 hospitals across the U.S. that they are failing to provide the public with basic pricing information.
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According to the report by Hospital Watchdog, the missing or hard-to-use pricing information makes it harder for patients, families and employers to know the true cost of care before a bill arrives.
It also said major hospital systems often charge private insurers and patients about three times what Medicare pays for the same services.
“Patients should not have to guess what a hospital visit is going to cost,” said Adam Buckalew, a spokesperson for Hospital Watch. “If hospitals are serious about affordability, they should start by following the basic transparency rules already on the books. Instead, too many major hospital systems are hiding prices, protecting inflated rates, and leaving families to deal with surprise bills they cannot afford.”
Some of the local hospitals who have failed to comply with the federal price transparency guidelines include:
Abbott Northwestern Hospital (Minneapolis)CentraCare – Paynesville Hospital (Paynesville)CentraCare Health System – Long Prairie (Long Prairie)CentraCare Melrose Hospital (Melrose)Children’s Minnesota Hospital – Minneapolis (Minneapolis)Cuyuna Regional Medical Center (Crosby)Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital (Ely)Gillette Children’s Specialty Hospital (St. Paul)Johnson Memorial Health Services (Dawson)M Health Fairview Bethesda Hospital (St. Paul)Maple Grove Hospital (Maple Grove)North Memorial Health – Robbinsdale Hospital (Robbinsdale)Rainy Lake Medical Center (International Falls)Riverwood Healthcare Center (Aitkin)St. Cloud Hospital (St. Cloud)Stevens Community Medical Center (Morris)Welia Health (Mora)Winona Health Services (Winona)
Buckalew said the report should be a warning for policymakers, regulators, employers and patients, adding that stronger oversight is needed alongside enforcement of existing rules.
“We need real enforcement of hospital price transparency and stronger scrutiny of hospital consolidation,” Buckalew said. “Sunlight is the first step toward accountability. Patients and employers deserve to know what they are being charged, why prices are so high, and whether hospitals are giving them a fair deal.”
The Minnesota Hospital Association provided the following statement:
“Nonprofit hospitals and health systems are committed to being open and transparent about the cost of care. We know that patients are deeply concerned about health care affordability and want all the information they can get. Every day, our member hospitals work to help patients understand what their care will cost and to connect them with financial counseling, billing support and assistance programs. Every one of our members has also been making price information easily available online for years, making every effort to comply with constantly shifting regulation. A recent report that a dozen or more of our members may have been out of compliance with federal requirements did not reflect the current situation: a survey of our members this week found that all but two hospitals and health systems were already in conformance with federal regulations, or were awaiting acknowledgement of their compliance. Our members also contribute to the Minnesota Hospital Association’s robust, statewide hospital price comparison tool that lets patients compare current, condition-by-condition charges at any Minnesota provider.”