The New York City Council passed the Healthcare Accountability and Consumer Protection Act in a step toward reining in healthcare costs for New York City residents. The bill creates an Office of Health Care Accountability to analyze hospital pricing and provide transparency for medical services.
The legislation increases transparency for consumers and patients in the healthcare sector. Specifically, it would ensure that New York City is evaluating healthcare costs and making recommendations to reign in excessive pricing by harnessing the City’s purchasing power. New York Times reports the bill will allow New Yorkers to compare the prices of procedures at different hospitals online.
A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to establishing an office of healthcare accountability
This bill would establish an Office of Healthcare Accountability. This office would provide recommendations relating to City healthcare and hospital costs, analyze expenditures on healthcare costs for city employees, provide information relating to the costs of hospital procedures on its website, convene stakeholders to examine healthcare costs, and collect and make available hospital financial documents. The Office would also report on information relating to healthcare costs, such as, hospital, insurance, and pharmaceutical pricing.
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