Hospital Price Gouging: Gov. Rick Scott Taking Aim

Gov. Rick Scott doesn’t seem proud of one of Florida’s latest “firsts” in the nation.

According to a study published in Health Affairs, the state tops the country in the number of hospitals that charge uninsured patients a markup that exceeds 10 times the cost of care. The study honed in on the Top 50 hospitals for markups across the country. Twenty of those hospitals happen to be in Florida with a number found right in the Tampa Bay area.

Hoping to change that number, Scott has launched a campaign to provide consumers with protections against “price gouging,” several media outlets have reported. His intent is to create new regulations that prevent hospitals from charging uninsured patients more than 15 percent of their average prices for care. If bills reflect higher pricing, patients would be able to file complaints with the Florida Attorney General’s Office or local prosecutors.

Scott would also like to see hospitals required to disclose online the prices they charge for different types of care. While the proposal would require price transparency, it would not set prices for hospitals. They would be free state their own fees as they see fit.

How soon Scott’s proposal might be acted upon remains unclear. Even so, the governor says the need to “make sure patients in the state know what things are going to cost so they’re never price-gouged” is clear, the Jacksonville Times Union quoted him as saying.

Scott has been soliciting patient stories about price gouging and has pitched his proposal to the state’s Commission on Healthcare and Hospital Funding.

To find out more about Florida hospitals, read these related stories:

• Hospital Price Gouging: Florida Leads Nation, Study Says
• How Safe Are Tampa Bay Hospitals?
• Tampa Bay Area Hospitals Ranked First to Worst

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