Costs of medical services must now be posted

Senate Bill 105, signed into law on Aug. 6 by Gov. Bill Walker, includes a requirement that all providers and facilities post the cost of their most common health care services in their public reception areas and on their websites.

These providers must also provide that information to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services once a year.

Price information must list the most commonly performed health care services in surgery, anesthesiology, pathology and labs, medicine, radiology and evaluation, and management. Providers and facilities must list undiscounted prices for a treatment, the procedure code, any facility fees, and in-network and out-of-network insurers.

Additionally, starting in January, a patient may request and receive a good faith estimate of nonemergency health care procedures within 10 business days from their health care insurer, provider or clinic.

The bill also references licensure of marital and family therapists. Read the complete bill online at http://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/30?Root=SB%20105

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