Patient Rights Advocate

Do you know someone who has recently been blindsided by a medical bill?

Well, you're not alone.

61% of Americans say that they have been hit with an unforeseen medical bill.

And for many, these costs have led to financial devastation.

Cynthia Fisher is the founder of patientrightsadvocate.org, and she joins us today to discuss why the need of price transparency in healthcare has never been more important.

Sponsored by: white patientrightsadvocate.org l3:none white patientrightsadvocate.org for more information lyssa- host: do you know someone who has recently been blindsided by a medical bill?

Well, you're not alone.

61% of americans say that they have been hit with an unforeseen medical bill.

And for many, these costs have led to financial devastation.

Cynthia fisher is the founder of patientrightsadvocate.org, and she is joining us today to discuss why the need of price transparency in healthcare has never been more important.

Welcome to the show, cynthia.

Cynthia fisher: thank you for having me today.

Lyssa- host: well, and let's go ahead and get right to it.

This is such an important topic.

What is the status of the recent legislation introduced to congress that would give americans the protection that they need?

Cynthia fisher: well, it's an exciting time because there's a lot of momentum, positive momentum for the american consumers who have been devastated because we've been blind to know prices in healthcare before we receive care.

And as you said, then we get blindsided without rage as medical bills we never knew we had to pay, and adding insult to injury, we are expected to pay whatever the hospitals charge us with a blank check.

And this can all stop and we can put the trends of runaway costs and healthcare and coverage in reverse through this new bill that senator braun and senator grassley have brought forward to leader mcconnell.

And transparency act.

And right now, it's being considered on the floor to go into this next covid stimulus package.

This is huge.

It's a huge benefit to all americans when we can shop to benefit from competition and reduce the cost of both our healthcare and our coverage when we can see prices.

Lyssa- host: absolutely.

Now, how will system-wide price transparency save americans money and stimulate the economy?

Cynthia fisher: well, i'm glad you asked because there are employers that have contracted directly with price transparent surgical centers and price transparent physician practices that offer primary care.

And these physicians and surgeons post their prices, charge the same discounted cash price to one patient, all patients, at one sixth to almost one half the cost.

So can you imagine that all americans could benefit like these employers in their plans by saving 30% to 50% of what they were spending previously by going with price transparent providers?

Cynthia fisher: this is game changing.

It reduces the cost and the burden of coverage for so many americans.

And in this time of covid crisis, we need this now more than ever.

And in fact, these 90%, nearly 90% of all americans want this.

They want hospitals and insurers to show their prices.

That's bipartisan.

That's an issue that we're unified and we agree on, and we would ask your listeners and viewers today that they actually go to our website, which is patientrightsadvocate.org, and our voices matter because we need to tell leader mcconnell to please put this in the next covid stimulus at absolutely no cost to the taxpayer.

We could all have a tremendous benefit.

This shock in healthcare.

Cynthia fisher: just like we do in every other facet of our lives, like grocery or retail, we would never tolerate not knowing the price of a gallon of milk and being expected to pay 10 times more months later.

And that's what's happening in healthcare and we can change all that, but our voices matter.

So please go to our website and advocate and tell leader mcconnell and rand paul to please put this in this next covid c1 3 stimulus package.

Lyssa- host: absolutely.

Cynthia, thank you so much for all of the information and thank you for your time this morning.

Cynthia fisher: thank you.

This is so critically important and we can all benefit.

Lyssa- host: absolutely.