Hospitals to list service costs online Jan. 1 due to new federal rule

The cost of medical services will soon be a little bit easier for people to understand, thanks to a new federal rule.

Starting Jan. 1, 2019, all hospitals will be required to post the cost of their standard services online.

Using these lists, patients will be able to compare prices before deciding where to go for treatment.

However, some consumer advocates said while the price transparency is beneficial, it doesn't do enough to inform patients about insurance price adjustments and or sometimes increased costs due to other factors.