CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - Starting Tuesday, a new federal rule requires all hospitals to publicly post the prices of services they offer online.
The decision comes from a proposal made by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in April.
The new rule aims to increase pricing transparency and offer options for customers to compare prices at different area hospitals.
Trident Health, located in the tri-county area, has posted a master list of prices for services offered in response to the new rule.
On MUSC’s website, a price list published by the hospital could not be found.
But the hospital’s site said MUSC Health has prices available on a collaborative website managed by the South Carolina Hospital Association. But some critics say the list hospitals will publish does not offer enough clarity or transparency.
A master list of prices does not include any discounts, co-pays, insurance information, or deductibles, so the prices listed could not be accurate for patients.
Price lists could not be found after brief searches on the websites of other area hospitals, like Roper Saint Francis and East Cooper Medical Center.
After reaching out to several hospitals in the tri-county area, no one has been available for comment about the new rule.
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