The campaign, from advocacy group Power to the Patients, is aimed at getting hospitals to comply with CMS price transparency rules. He also calls for lawmakers to enforce the price transparency law.
“When we can’t see or compare prices, hospitals charge us whatever they want. They’re robbing us,” Fat Joe says in the ad. “It’s not even legal, but nobody’s enforcing that law. We love our nurses. We need our doctors. But the big business behind them is breaking our backs. So to all you politicians letting them crush us: You’re breaking my heart.”
The advertisement refers to a CMS rule, which took effect in January 2021, that aims to make hospital pricing information readily available to patients to compare costs and make more informed decisions. Under the rule, hospitals in the U.S. are required to post both a machine-readable file with the negotiated rates for all items and services and display the prices of 300 shoppable services in a consumer-friendly format.
Despite the rule taking effect last year, a survey of 1,000 hospitals released in February found just 14.3 percent of hospitals were compliant with the federal price transparency rule. The study was conducted by patientrightsadvocate.org.
The ad that features Fat Joe cost six figures, according to Politico, though Power to the Patients did not disclose the exact amount.
“Hospitals are obligated to show us their prices. And we demand them. Power to the patients,” the ad concludes.
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.