RESOLUTION 63-06, 2006: State Pricing Transparency
AAPS General Assembly, September 2006

Submitted by Mark Schiller, M.D.

WHEREAS: in many states, the state government is the largest consumer and purchaser of medical services and health insurance;

WHEREAS: state-purchased medical plans and services, including Medicaid and S-CHIP, are financed with taxpayer funds;

WHEREAS: pricing transparency is critical to helping patients make the best medical decisions;

WHEREAS: in June 2006, the federal government took the lead by posting pricing information for Medicare;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT: AAPS urges all state governments and agencies to make public the premiums paid for state employees and state-sponsored health plans, including Medicaid and S-CHIP, and to publicly post the reimbursement rates paid to hospitals and individual providers under those plans for specific medical services and procedures.