Your hospital bill shouldn't be a mystery.

There has been real progress on healthcare price transparency in recent years. Recent legislation, including the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act, requires hospitals to post estimated prices and standard charges publicly so patients can plan ahead. However, no law addresses the bill a patient receives after treatment. An estimated 80% of medical bills in the U.S. contain at least one error, and research published in the American Journal of Public Health found that medical bills contribute to 66.5% of all U.S. bankruptcies.
 

Our Solution:
We're students with the Free Healthcare Initiative, proposing the Healthcare Billing Transparency Act (HBTA), which includes:

1. Automatic Itemized Billing — Every patient receives a full, line-by-line bill within 5 business days of treatment, with no request required. Bundled or vague charges are prohibited unless the patient explicitly waives itemization in writing.

2. Plain-Language Service Descriptions — Every billing code is paired with a clear, plain-English explanation, so patients can understand exactly what they are being charged for without outside research.

Therefore, we request that the San Diego County Board of Supervisors formally support the Healthcare Billing Transparency Act and advocate for its adoption at the state and federal level. This action will demonstrate a real commitment to protecting residents from confusing, unaccountable medical billing.

We need your support to bring this change. Sign this petition to tell the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to act in the best interest of patients and families across our community by supporting clear, honest hospital billing.