An Act limiting facility fees

This bill limits the amount hospitals and health systems can charge for facility fees, which are separate charges for using hospital space and equipment during outpatient visits. Specifically, it caps these fees at $30 per patient visit for services provided off-site from a hospital campus and for uninsured patients receiving care outside of an emergency department. The law also requires healthcare providers to inform patients about the specific facility fees they will owe before scheduling appointments and mandates a study to compare costs between hospital outpatient departments and non-hospital settings. Hospitals currently under contracts that offer full reimbursement for higher fees are allowed to continue collecting those amounts until the contracts expire. Violations of the fee cap are classified as unfair trade practices under state law.