Whether receiving a routine screening or undergoing complex treatment, patients deserve equal access to affordable care. The Site Billing and Transparency Improvement Act (SITE). The Senate aims to fix this by leveling the playing field and making health care more affordable for everyone, regardless of where the care is provided.

Every day, I have the privilege of working to help cancer patients in Central and Upstate New York who face extraordinary challenges. But one of the biggest obstacles we hear about time and time again is the rising cost of care. A 2023 study found that mammograms were 32 percent more expensive in the outpatient departments of corporate-owned hospitals than in private practices. This is a symptom of a broken system that puts profits over patients, allowing hospitals to charge much more for the same procedure and putting unnecessary financial strain on families. Many cancer patients already incur staggering costs for their treatments, drugs and therapies. Adding additional financial burdens because of where their care takes place is not only unfair, but dangerous.

Imagine you have cancer, have found a trusted local doctor, and then find out that the practice has been bought by a hospital. Suddenly, the cost of your care goes up, not because the care has improved or changed in any way, but because of unfair billing practices that allow hospitals to charge more. That’s exactly what’s happening, and it’s something we can fix.