Caroline Upthegrove (ORU)
In the Senate on Nov. 14, bill OBU-002 made its way through the Senate. Sen. Quartuccio from OBU introduced the bill as a way to regulate healthcare pricing. The bill pushes hospitals in Oklahoma to publish physical and electronic copies of the healthcare services it administers. The bill requires that hospitals have common terminology for services as well as standard code.
Additionally, the hospital must display the price list between one’s healthcare provider and the hospital. The hospital must provide physical lists at the hospital’s location. The price list must be in an accessible location and hospitals must update the price list as it fluctuates. Quartuccio explained the penalties in her bill.
“After a warning, they have ten business days; they’ll be required to pay a $1,000 fine. After the initial fine, they’re subject with a $10,000 fine every two weeks,” Quartuccio said.
The bill goes into detail on the various rules and penalties allotted per violation. Because of the nature of the bill, hospital prices could be affected. Sen. Ray noticed the possible issue and proceeded to point it out to Quartuccio.
“Will this act put downward pressure on prices, which in turn may potentially lower overall healthcare costs?” Ray asked.
According to Quartuccio, she believed she could lower healthcare costs by having more people trust in the system. For example, Marketplace advises giving healthcare consumers more information and power. The medical world has often been shrouded in mystery because of confidentiality issues and privacy laws, so Quartuccio’s bill could offer more clarity. Quartuccio’s bill was questioned on the matters of a penalty and an effective date. There was one amendment to repeal the effective date and replace the effective date to become law after 90 days. The Senate passed the bill on Nov. 14.