AHA News: The Wisconsin Association of Health Plans are currently implementing plans to allow health plan enrollees have out-of-pocket cost estimates available.

Beginning September 1st, enrollees can request an estimate of out-of-pocket costs before receiving services.

Health Plans Under Association

• Abri Health Plan
• Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Arise Health Plan

Michigan Health & Hospital Association plans to launch a new Web site (www.mihospitalinform.org) Jan. 1, reports Crain's Detroit Business.

In a move towards greater health care transparency, the new site will make 146 of Michigan hospitals quality-of-care and pricing information available to the public.

FierceHealthcare reports that a Wisconsin legislator is planning to introduce a state bill next month which would require providers and health plans to give patients charge information. Under the terms of the bill, providers would be required to provide a list of prices for their 50 most-frequently performed procedures upon consumer request. The list, which would be free to patients, would be considered a good-faith estimate of pricing rather than a binding estimate.

Waukesha Memorial publishes their charges for a range of their most commonly performed DRGs. Interestingly, they took the data from the Wisconsin public report on charges from the WHA, and published it on their own hospital Web site. From their Web page: "We hope this charge data, presented in a factual way, will help make choosing a hospital a little bit simpler for you. You have a right to know."