"An Act Concerning Fees Charged for Services Provided at Hospital-based Facilities"

Attorney General George Jepsen today applauded the Governor for signing legislation the Attorney General authored seeking greater disclosure to patients of hospital facility fees.  That bill, House Bill 5337, An Act Concerning Fees Charged for Services Provided at Hospital-based Facilities, will become effective on October 1, 2014 and will provide greater disclosure of potential facility fees to patients prior to treatment or service.  Over the last several months, nearly 80 complaints have been filed with the Attorney General's office by Connecticut patients who were surprised to learn that the medical services they received at a physician’s office had triggered a hospital facility fee.  Patients reported that they often left their doctor’s office believing their payment at the time of service had settled their financial obligation only to later receive a bill including facility fees that ranged from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

"I applaud Governor Malloy for signing this bill, which represents a bipartisan effort to improve transparency and consumer choice in healthcare.  The Connecticut Hospital Association and its members deserve credit for working with my Office to address this important issue. In addition to the Governor, I am especially grateful for the efforts of Senator Paul Doyle and Representative David Baram, the General Law Committee Chairmen who co-sponsored the bill and helped ensure its passage.  I look forward to working towards additional price transparency, which is greatly needed given the rapidly changing nature of the health care system in Connecticut."    

Attorney General Jepsen’s legislation was the product of extensive study by his office’s Healthcare Competition Working Group, which reviewed complaints and input from consumers as well as detailed information provided by all 29 of Connecticut’s hospitals concerning their practices with respect to facility fees.

Please click here to download a copy of the Attorney General's report.