Why It Matters
Pennsylvania patients seeking to compare costs before a medical procedure face significant obstacles, even though federal law has required hospitals to post service prices since 2021. A new report from the Pennsylvania Health Access Network highlights how incomplete and inconsistent that compliance has been across the state.
What Happened
Researchers at the Pennsylvania Health Access Network attempted to locate pricing information for several procedures at 67 hospitals throughout Pennsylvania. What they found was widespread inconsistency: many hospitals posted prices in only one of the two required formats, listed different prices across formats, or had no pricing information at all.
Federal rules that took effect in 2021 require hospitals to make service prices available both in a downloadable file and through a consumer-friendly online tool. Despite those requirements, the report found the rules are unevenly followed.
Patrick Keenan, the organization’s executive director and lead researcher, said the findings point to a real opportunity for patients. “The top takeaway that we found is that there is a real possibility for Pennsylvania patients to save money,” he said.
By the Numbers
The cost variation the researchers uncovered was striking. In the Philadelphia suburbs alone, a brain MRI ranged from a low of $375 to a high of $18,573 — a nearly 50-fold difference for the same service within the same region.
Nationwide, the Trump administration has warned 500 hospitals to improve their price transparency compliance or face potential fines. Of those, 13 are in Pennsylvania, underscoring the scope of the problem within the state.
Zoom Out
Hospital price transparency has been a bipartisan policy priority, with the original federal requirements established under rules that took shape across administrations. The current enforcement push under the Trump administration signals continued federal attention to compliance gaps that consumer advocates say have persisted since the rules took effect.
Pennsylvania is not alone in grappling with these gaps — the 500 hospitals warned nationally span multiple states and health systems. The wide variation in procedure costs found in the Pennsylvania report mirrors findings from similar studies in other states, suggesting the issue is systemic rather than isolated.
The report also comes as Pennsylvania faces broader healthcare access pressures. The state’s Pennie insurance marketplace lost roughly 160,000 enrollees after federal premium subsidies lapsed, leaving more residents navigating the market without coverage cushions — making upfront price transparency even more consequential for those paying out of pocket.
What’s Next
The Pennsylvania Health Access Network report is intended to press hospitals toward fuller compliance and to help patients understand they have the right to shop for care. Federal regulators retain the authority to levy fines against hospitals that continue to fall short of transparency requirements.
As the state works to expand healthcare access — including efforts to deploy new frontline healthcare workers in rural communities — advocates argue that pricing clarity is a necessary companion to access: patients need to know not just where to get care, but what it will cost them before they walk through the door.