A new poll by Morning Consult showed that 84 percent of voters identified health care costs as a top priority for Congress to address this year, encouraging policymakers to support targeted changes that lower fees and increase billing transparency. Nevadans are particularly concerned about the rising cost of health care. Last year, a staggering 65 percent experienced at least one health care affordability burden when compared to the previous year.
The survey showed 74 percent of voters support limiting or restricting medical facility fees, which can often exceed the actual cost of care. Bipartisan legislation including the Site-based Invoicing and Transparency Enhancement Act and Lower Costs, More Transparency Act seek to do just that. Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and her colleagues in the U.S. Senate are considering these Acts, which are a significant step forward in realizing broader reforms that advance site-neutral payments across the system and reform the current billing rules, which allow large corporate hospital owners to charge higher prices for care that is delivered in an off-site medical office.
Key findings from the Morning Consult poll include:
● Requiring medical providers to disclose their facility fees upfront to patients, before they are seen, received support from 81% of voters, with 62% of respondents agreeing strongly.
● Requiring big corporate hospitals to report data on facility fees, including how much revenue they are collecting from facility fees, received support from 81% of voters, with over half of respondents agreeing strongly.
● Banning facility fees for patients’ visits with their primary health care providers or for preventive care services received support from 77% of voters, with half of respondents agreeing strongly.
● Banning corporate health care and hospital systems from charging hospital facility fees for services performed at clinics and doctor’s offices that are not located on a hospital campus received support from 77% of voters, with half of respondents agreeing strongly.
● Banning facility fees everywhere for outpatient, same-day services, regardless of the service or where care is being provided, received support from 74% of voters.
Full poll findings can be found HERE.