72% of Nebraska hospitals not in compliance with federal law, better than national average

NORFOLK, Neb. -- A new study shows that fewer than a third of Nebraska's hospitals are in compliance with a federal law that requires patients to be informed of the costs of services before receiving care, but the state is well ahead of the national average.

The hospital price transparency law officially went into effect in January 2021, but the study says that many facilities nationwide have not yet fully complied, including several in Nebraska.

Patients Rights Advocate, which conducted the study, found that 12 of 43 Nebraska hospitals included in the study were not in compliance, putting the state at a 27.9% success rate. Nationwide, just 16% of hospitals are fully following the law.

The Nebraska hospitals that were in compliance included nine of 11 CHI Health facilities, the Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha's Methodist Hospital, and Boys Town National Research Hospital in Omaha. 

The bulk of the Nebraska hospitals found to be in noncompliance were found in rural communities.

Data collected in the study indicates Americans pay roughly two times more in healthcare fees than any other developed country.

A full copy of the report can be found here.