Last week, House Republicans and Democrats introduced the Lower Cost, More Transparency Act. In a bipartisan effort that is all too rare in Congress , this bill makes significant progress to address a problem that has long plagued patients: hidden healthcare costs.

For decades, the public has had no way of knowing the price of various medical services at a given hospital or doctor’s office until their bill arrives. These prices are typically hidden from patients, and the costs vary dramatically.

For example, in one hospital alone, the same MRI costs between $248 and $2,500, a tenfold price difference. Similarly, in one network of hospitals in California, a cesarean section can cost anywhere from $ 6,000 to $60,000 , and a single complex cardiac procedure ranges in price from $89,000 to more than $500,000 . In another metro area, a survey found that the highest negotiated price of a simple blood test was about 40 times more than the lowest price. Even if a person tries to inquire about the cost of many nonemergency procedures such as a colonoscopy or knee replacement, most hospitals do not provide a straightforward answer.

Without price transparency, how can patients make informed decisions about their medical care? Instead, patients frequently receive shocking medical bills they didn’t expect and cannot afford to pay. This lack of transparency is one of the primary reasons that nearly 1 in 4 people are currently burdened by medical debt.

Hidden prices allow healthcare providers to drive up costs. One study of more than 2,800 hospitals found that hospitals boosted margins not by cutting costs but by increasing the rates they charged commercial insurers. In return, insurers hike premiums and leave hefty bills for patients to pay out of pocket, particularly for the majority who now have high-deductible plans.

Patients in need of medical care suffer tremendous financial stress and even health complications from shocking hospital bills.

Claudia Knafo, a Manhattan concert pianist, was told she needed to have urgent spinal surgery. She chose a surgeon in her network. She was never given information about the cost of the surgery. She knew only that she needed this surgery to live and that her surgeon accepted her insurance. After the surgery, Claudia received bills totaling more than $101,000. It turned out that the doctor no longer accepted her insurance. “I was a pawn in a system that is so broken,” says Claudia. “I lost my life.”

Despite the common refrain that such surprise bills are a thing of the past, 21% of surveyed adults report that they received a surprise bill from an out-of-network provider at an in-network facility.

One couple in Miami followed a doctor’s recommendation to get simple genetic testing for their baby. Weeks later, the provider billed their insurance nearly $18,000. When the father raised the issue with the testing company, they lowered the bill to $1,000 — such a difference suggests that the prices are severely inflated.

Though the Trump and Biden administrations have taken action to require hospitals to publish prices, hundreds of providers have resisted complying. Even when North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell asked the University of North Carolina healthcare system for a record of the prices it charged the state for hospital visits in 2020, UNC sent 200 pages of blacked-out, redacted prices.

“The state hospital won’t tell the state treasurer what it’s charging to treat state employees. That’s unacceptable. We need access to our own data,” Folwell said.

Fortunately, the Lower Cost, More Transparency Act would reform four key aspects of our broken healthcare system. First, it would require hospitals, insurers, and laboratories to provide consumers with clear, publicly available pricing information for at least 300 shoppable services such as hip replacements, mammograms, and many other pre-scheduled procedures.

Second, it would expose the widespread consolidation of hospitals and physician ownership to prevent monopolies.

Third, it would ensure that pharmacy benefit managers cannot charge consumers more than the price they are paying for the drug.

Finally, the bill would require the Food and Drug Administration to disclose the quantitative and qualitative differences between a new generic drug and the brand name counterparts so providers and patients can make informed decisions and choose the cheaper option when it provides the same level of treatment.

The House could vote on the legislation as soon as next week.

Every patient deserves to know the price of medical services before they are stuck with the bill. And while major hospital systems and insurance companies have lobbied vociferously to stop such efforts, members of Congress can no longer ignore the estimated 90% who support greater price transparency in healthcare.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have promised voters they will address surprise medical billing. Now it’s time for Congress to deliver with the healing remedy of price transparency.

Dr. Marion Mass is a pediatrician in suburban Philadelphia who serves on the board of the Free2Care Coalition and is a visiting fellow at the Independent Women’s Voice. Rebecca Weber is the CEO of the Association of Mature American Citizens, which represents more than 2 million Americans over 50.