House Health Care Committee Chairman Steve Maier, D-Middlebury, has proposed legislation to prevent hospitals from putting money towards advertising. While supporters say the move would help cut the rising cost of health care, some opponents of the proposal are questioning whether such a ban would go against the constitutional right to freedom of speech, according to a story in the Burlington Free Press.
The proposed bill would prevent hospitals from including advertising or marketing in their yearly budgets, which are approved by the state Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration (BISHCA). BISHCA currently does not require hospitals to submit itemized budgets for approval, which means that it is unable to determine how much a hospital spends on advertising. The bill interprets advertising and marketing as promotion or any activity that is intended to be used or is used to influence individuals seeking health care services to use a specific hospital to attain those services.
Legislators propose ban on hospital advertising
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