The governor’s version of the state budget removed the current law regarding health care price transparency. But in the House-passed version the original price transparency language reappeared at the request of the language’s original sponsor, Representative Jim Butler (R-Oakwood, OH).
Williams County Common Pleas Court issued a restraining order preventing Ohio’s price transparency law from going into effect on January 1, 2017, and extended the original restraining order through the end of state budget process in hopes that the issue could be worked out legislatively.
As has been reported repeatedly, all physician and other health care organizations have stated “loudly and clearly” that the price transparency statute as written now is unworkable and impossible to implement. The required report of the Health Services Price Disclosure Study Committee is still unwritten and the rules to implement the statute are not promulgated.
Negotiations relative to how to amend the law to make it workable have been occurring for 18 months with no agreed upon outcome to date; thus, the need for filing of the lawsuit requesting a temporary restraining order.
Physician and other health care organizations will attempt to put forth a price transparency amendment in the Senate that focuses on health care services that people can truly shop for. Efforts will continue to advocate for removal of the Butler price transparency language from Ohio law. If that effort is unsuccessful, we are back to pursuing the court case.