June 20, 2025
The Oregonian recently published an article featuring Keith Ericson, Professor of Markets, Public Policy, and Law, discussing how Oregon’s hospital price transparency efforts are falling short.
While federal rules require hospitals to disclose prices, the information is often incomplete, inconsistent, and misleading. Prices for the same procedure can vary by thousands of dollars depending on the hospital and insurer, leaving patients unable to make informed decisions. A proposed Oregon law seeks to improve transparency and standardization, but it’s facing pushback from hospitals concerned about costs and administrative burdens. As experts warn, the lack of clear, enforceable standards continues to put patients at risk of unexpected and unaffordable medical bills.
“The prices you see online almost never match what actually shows up on a patient’s bill. One of the more surprising aspects of the U.S. healthcare system is that patients often have no idea what they’ll owe until after they’ve received care,” Ericson adds.
Without stronger enforcement and clearer standards, price transparency will remain more promise than practice—leaving Oregon patients in the dark when it comes to the true cost of care.
