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alliance-blog

Washington takes on health care price transparency

After giving birth to their daughter in Hawaii, a Canadian couple’s health insurance claim was denied and they received a million dollar medical bill. While this story highlights an extreme case, health care is costly business for everyone in the system.

Coalition for Health Care Cost Transparency  logo

Learn more about the Coalition for Health Care Cost Transparency at: www.transparencywa.org.

There are many potential solutions that will bring about more affordable health care, but underlying them all is the same idea―improving the system starts with better information.

There is a national movement for price transparency that aims to make health care more affordable and less opaque for consumers. States like Massachusetts and New Hampshire have attempted a hybrid regulatory and market-based approach to achieve this goal, and the evidence is showing their approach is working.

In Washington, a broad coalition of business leaders, health care providers, health plans and community groups are supporting a regulatory approach that will help market-based strategies reduce costs and improve quality through the implementation of a fully-functioning and sustainable All-Payer Claims Database. Learn more about why health care transparency is good for consumers, businesses, health care providers and our state’s economy. Visit the Coalition for Health Care Cost Transparency website to learn more.

Published: November 25, 2014

About Washington Health Alliance

The Washington Health Alliance is a place where stakeholders work collaboratively to transform Washington state’s health care system for the better. The Alliance brings together organizations that share a commitment to drive change in our health care system by offering a forum for critical conversation and aligned efforts by stakeholders: purchasers, providers, health plans, consumers and other health care partners. The Alliance believes strongly in transparency and offers trusted and credible reporting of progress on measures of health care quality and value. The Alliance is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit with more than 185 member organizations. A cornerstone of the Alliance's work is the Community Checkup, a report to the public comparing the performance of medical groups, hospitals and health plans and offering a community-level view on important measures of health care quality (www.wacommunitycheckup.org).

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