MADISON, Wis. — According to an analysis by Turquoise Health, a national leader in health care pricing data, Wisconsin’s hospitals have earned the Badger State the highest transparency adherence marks in the nation.
This top ranking highlights the exceptional efforts of Wisconsin hospitals to provide patients with clear, accessible and accurate information about the cost of care. Since federal price transparency rules from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) took effect in 2021, not a single Wisconsin hospital has been fined for noncompliance.
“Despite constantly changing federal regulations and moving goal posts by CMS, Wisconsin hospitals are leading the country in transparency, not just meeting federal standards but exceeding them,” said WHA Senior Vice President of Government Relations Kyle O’Brien. “This ranking is a testament to the hard work of our hospitals and their staff, who are committed to helping patients understand their health care costs.”
Turquoise Health’s state-by-state analysis evaluated hospitals on their adherence to updated federal technical specifications, including the accessibility of machine-readable files. Wisconsin’s hospitals outperformed all others, including those in states with additional, duplicative transparency laws.
“Unlike the heavily enforced hospital regulations, transparency rules for insurance companies, which face a long list of investigations by the Department of Justice and other federal regulators, have remained largely unenforced, and have been notably ignored and left unaccountable by a select few policymakers,” said O’Brien.
WHA continues to raise concerns about legislative proposals that would create a new state-level price transparency bureaucracy that conflicts with federal rules and increases regulatory confusion.
“Advocates for state-level price transparency legislation continue to ignore the outstanding record Wisconsin hospitals hold in complying with federal price transparency regulations,” said O’Brien. “Thankfully, most lawmakers have not ignored this reality. We are grateful to the many state lawmakers who recognize the hard work of hospitals and have come to their own realization that this legislation is truly a solution in search of a problem.”
Just this past week, the Trump Administration announced additional changes to federal price transparency regulations. Unlike previous state legislation, the Trump Administration included requirements and enforcement on insurance companies and third-party administrators for self-funded health plans.
WHA encourages policymakers to explore the WHA Price Finder tool or visit their local hospital website to learn how patients can access pricing information.
