Contact Congress about S. 2355: Patients Deserve Price Tags Act
Patients could get clearer prices before care and clearer bills after care. Hospitals, some other providers, and health plans would have to post detailed price data online. Companies that ignore the rules could face large fines.
Modern Action explains legislation in plain English, helps you choose whether to support, oppose, or ask for changes, and drafts a message tied to the bill, your stance, and the elected officials who can act on it.
Patients Deserve Price Tags Act is a Senate bill in committee. The latest recorded action: Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Hearings held.
Latest action on S. 2355: Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Hearings held.
Who this affects: This bill mainly affects patients, health care providers, health plans, employers, and companies that help run health plans. Patients could see more prices before care and get clearer bills after care. Providers and plans would have to build and maintain detailed data systems. Employers that sponsor health plans could get more information about how plan money is spent.
Why this matters: Health care prices are often hard to see before treatment, and bills can be hard to understand afterward. This bill tries to make prices, plan payments, rebates, fees, and patient bills easier to check. It could help people plan for care and help employers review health plan spending. The actual effect on costs and premiums would depend on how providers, insurers, employers, and patients use the new data.
Key provisions in S. 2355
- Hospitals would have to post free monthly online files with all standard charges for every item and service. The files must show full listed prices, cash prices, insurer-specific negotiated rates, and the lowest and highest negotiated rates without naming the insurers.
- Hospitals would have to show easy-to-use prices for at least 300 shoppable services through December 31, 2026. After that, they would have to show prices for all shoppable services.
- The Department of Health and Human Services would set one standard method and format for price files from hospitals, labs, imaging providers, and certain surgery centers. The deadline would be January 1, 2026 or January 1, 2027, depending on the type of entity.
- Hospitals that break the rules could face daily fines based on their size. Larger hospitals could pay more per bed, and repeated or willful violations could bring extra lump-sum fines. The Department of Health and Human Services could raise the maximum fines after 2026.
- Clinical labs, imaging providers, and certain hospital-linked surgery centers would have to follow price transparency rules starting July 1, 2027. Ongoing violations could bring fines of up to $300 per day, and that amount could rise later.
How Modern Action helps you take action on S. 2355
You do not have to start with a blank letter. Modern Action turns the bill, your position, and the relevant congressional context into a message you can edit and send. The goal is to make contacting Congress clear, specific, and useful without forcing you to parse bill text or figure out the right office on your own.
Questions people ask about S. 2355
- What is S. 2355?
- Patients could get clearer prices before care and clearer bills after care. Hospitals, some other providers, and health plans would have to post detailed price data online. Companies that ignore the rules could face large fines.
- How do I support or oppose S. 2355?
- Choose support, oppose, or ask for changes on Modern Action. The action flow drafts the message for you and keeps the wording tied to this bill.
- Who should I contact about S. 2355?
- Modern Action uses your location to route the action to the congressional offices relevant to the bill and your representation.
- Can Modern Action explain S. 2355 before I act?
- Yes. Modern Action gives you a plain-English summary, current status, and action context before you send anything.
