Cynthia A. Fisher, founder and chairman of PatientRightsAdvocate.org, released the following statement on today's announcement by CMS that national health expenditures grew to $4.9 trillion and 17.6% of GDP in 2023:

PatientRightsAdvocate.org (PRA) applauded today’s bipartisan passage by the Ohio General Assembly of major legislation to deliver hospital price transparency for Ohioans and urged Governor Mike DeWine to sign the bill without delay. The legislation, originally introduced as House Bill 49 by Ohio State Representatives Tim Barhorst (District 85) and Ron Ferguson (District 96) in February 2023, was passed unanimously by both chambers as an amendment to H.B. 173. If enacted, it would require Ohio hospitals to post the prices of available services online for upfront public viewing. 

PatientRightsAdvocate.org honors Harris Rosen, the entrepreneur behind the Rosen Hotels & Resorts, operating a successful hotel chain with properties throughout Orlando’s theme park region. Others also knew him for his community philanthropy, revitalizing underserved communities and providing college scholarships and preschool educations.

PatientRightsAdvocate.org’s seventh Semi-Annual Hospital Price Transparency Report revealed that only 21.1% of the 2,000 hospitals reviewed nationwide were in full compliance with the federal rule, a substantial decline from the 34.5% compliance found in PRA’s last report released in February 2024.

Today, PatientRightsAdvocate.org (PRA) announced the Colorado Hospital Price Finder Tool, empowering Coloradans with free access to all available Colorado hospital prices so they can compare options, prevent overcharges, and have recourse for surprise bills. Patients, employers, unions, and researchers in the Centennial State are now able to search all posted prices by hospital, procedure, and code at ColoradoHospitalPrices.com.  

Following Theo Von’s podcast episode with Senator JD Vance, Cynthia Fisher, Founder and Chairman of PatientRightsAdvocate.org (PRA), applauded Von and Vance’s discussion on price transparency: 

"In no other industry do we accept hidden prices. PatientRightsAdvocate.org applauds JD Vance for joining a host of voices from both sides of the aisle in supporting healthcare price transparency. We will continue to urge policymakers to act on price transparency until lower costs are finally delivered for the American people and our economy.” - PRA Founder and Chairman Cynthia Fisher.

Today, Cynthia Fisher, Founder and Chairman of PatientRightsAdvocate.org, released the following statement on the GAO’s new report on CMS’s implementation of federal healthcare price transparency requirements.

Following the 2024 Vice Presidential debate, Cynthia Fisher, Founder and Chairman of PatientRightsAdvocate.org, applauded the conversation on price transparency:

“Healthcare price transparency rightfully took center stage in the Vice Presidential Debate, underscoring the resounding bipartisan support that this critical issue enjoys nationwide. PatientRightsAdvocate.org urges lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to take swift action to ensure true price transparency, which will deliver greater choice, protect patients, and lower the costs of care and coverage.”

PatientRightsAdvocate.org (PRA) released a new poll conducted by Echelon Insights and Social Sphere that found price transparency in healthcare continues to be one of the most significant issues for the overwhelming majority of Americans.

The poll conducted among Likely Electorate voters nationwide, surveyed August 23-27, found 92% Support requirements for hospitals and insurers to provide real prices upfront

Today, PatientRightsAdvocate.org (PRA) released a statement on the findings of the new machine-readable file (MRF) tracker by Turquoise Health that tracks real-time hospital compliance with the federal hospital price transparency rule.  

PatientRightsAdvocate.org (PRA) applauded the bipartisan passage of House Bill 49 by the Ohio Senate (27-6) nearly one year after a similar version of the legislation was passed by the Ohio House by a bipartisan 90-5 vote last June. Prior to the full Senate vote, H.B. 49 was unanimously approved this morning by the Senate Small Business & Economic Opportunity Committee. The bill requires Ohio hospitals to post the prices of available services online for upfront public viewing. It also includes provisions to financially protect patients impacted by non-compliant hospitals

Today, Cynthia Fisher, founder and chairman of PatientRightsAdvocate.org, released the following statement congratulating Oklahoma’s elected leaders for enacting HB 4148, which was passed by both chambers of the Oklahoma Legislature earlier this year to help protect patients from financial ruin. HB 4148 will prevent hospitals from sending patients' bills to collection if they do not comply with the state’s federal price transparency rule.

On May 13, PatientRightsAdvocate.org founder and chairman Cynthia Fisher gave a keynote address at the Indiana Employers Forum for the National Healthcare Price Transparency Conference. Cynthia discussed the importance of healthcare price transparency for employers, employees, unions, and all consumers of healthcare.

PatientRightsAdvocate.org filed an amicus brief in the case of Secretary Julie A. Su, Acting Secretary of Labor v. Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) of Minnesota, arguing that their motion to dismiss the case should be denied on the basis that BCBS was an ERISA fiduciary and that ERISA’s fiduciary protections are needed to police third-party administrator contracts that hide healthcare prices from beneficiaries and obstruct beneficiaries from finding high-quality, cost-efficient care.

PRA's sixth Semi-Annual Hospital Price Transparency Compliance Report revealed that only 34.5% of the 2,000 hospitals reviewed were in full compliance with the federal rule, virtually unchanged from the 36% compliance found in PRA’s last report released in July 2023. Despite stagnant compliance, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued penalty notices to only 14 hospitals.

Cynthia Fisher, founder and Chairman of PatientRightsAdvocate.org, joined Meghna Chakrabarti, host of NPR’s On Point, to discuss the growing momentum of healthcare price transparency in Congress and why employers and unions have joined the fight in this critical moment.

New Polling Reveals 94% of Americans Support Healthcare Price Transparency. Today, PatientRightsAdvocate.org (PRA) released new polling conducted by Marist revealing that healthcare price transparency remains one of the most popular and unifying issues being considered by Congress.