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House lawmakers moved forward with a bill Tuesday aimed at increasing the transparency of health care costs in the state.
SB 5 would create a database of prices for health care services so Hoosiers could compare costs.
Rep. Donna Schaibley (R-Carmel) says the creation of the database is an important step in lowering health care costs.
“This information can be used to inform policy, assist research and enhance transparency by providing a public portal for individuals to compare prices and quality of the services they need,” Schaibley says.
READ MORE: All IN Conversation: Evansville Issues & Ales, Health Care Costs And Surprise Billing
The all payers claims database would have information from health insurers and show how much procedures costs at different providers. The goal is to lower health care costs as providers compete on price. But research has shown transparency efforts alone are not likely to reduce prices.
Another bill that would extend Indiana's syringe exchange program for a year also passed out of the House. Both bills will now be sent back to the Senate for a vote.
Contact Darian at dbenson@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @helloimdarian.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story said this bill was SB 3. That was incorrect. The language from SB 3 and SB 4 was inserted into SB 5, which is the bill currently moving through the legislature.
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