Hospital Pricing To Become Less Confusing

How many times have you looked over a medical bill and been completely blown away by some of the things you've been charged for?  From the MRI to the bedpan and everything in between, it's mind-blowing. That's about to change (hopefully). On January 1st, hospital pricing will become a lot more transparent, giving us consumers a chance to do some bargain shopping.

Some informational labels can be useful, others completely unnecessary. For example, I don't care how many calories are in the slice of cheesecake I'm about to devour. I also don't need for it to be clearly marked on my son's stroller that I should 'remove child before folding'. And thank you coffee cup manufacturer for reminding me not to spill hot liquid on my crotch region, but do I appreciate your general concern.

When it comes to hospital visits, it would be nice to know what I'm paying for before the services are rendered and according to News 10 ABC, that will be happening sooner rather than later.

The station is reporting that as per the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the federal rule requires hospitals to provide this information in a "machine-readable" format, online. Patients will then be able to download the information in spreadsheet format.

According to the report, hospitals will be required to update the pricing every year.