WASHINGTON — Leading members of the U.S. House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee on Tuesday unveiled a bipartisan health care bill that would require hospitals to implement accurate billing practices, price transparency and disclosure of hidden charges.
Education and Labor Commissioner Virginia Fox said the four bipartisan bills would help improve transparency for patients.
“The Commission fixed these issues by bringing together four bipartisan bills aimed at increasing transparency, promoting accurate billing practices, and expanding health care options for workers and their families. We do,” the North Carolina Republican lawmaker said in a statement. “By taking legislative action to codify transparent practices, we are reducing costs and providing Americans with more choice.”
invoice, HR 4509is known as the “Claims Transparency Act,” and is backed by Mr. Fox and the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia. It requires health insurance issuers that provide group health insurance plans and group health insurance coverage to only pay claims submitted by hospitals that have policies and procedures in place to ensure accurate billing practices. to oblige, and to require other purposes.”
“Transparency in healthcare is essential to fostering meaningful competition, thereby containing costs for both consumers and employers,” Scott said in a statement.
If the bill is signed, it will come into effect in January next year.
There is another bill in the package, HR 4507Written by Republican Rep. Bob Goode of Virginia and Rep. Mark Desaulnier of California, the bill “promotes transparency in health insurance and reforms pharmacy benefit administration services for mass care plans.” there is
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Mr. Goode and Mr. Dessolnier are the top members of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Work and Pensions.
For health issuers offering group medical plans and group health insurance, price transparency includes information about claims payment policies and practices, regular financial disclosures, and out-of-network coverage costs and payments. increase. Data on the number of registrations, deregistrations, rating practices, and denied claims, among other requirements.
The third bill was introduced by Republican Rep. Lori Chavez Delemar of Oregon, Rep. Mark Takano of California, and Rep. Cathy Manning of North Carolina.
The invoice is health data lawto ensure that trustees are “not contractually restricted from receiving cost or quality of care information about their plans.”
A trustee is someone who operates a health insurance plan based solely on the interests of its subscribers and beneficiaries.
The fourth bill HR 4508was introduced by Rep. Joe Courtney, a Democrat of Connecticut, and Rep. Erin Hochin, a Republican of Indiana, to tighten compensation disclosure requirements for trustees of pharmacy benefits managers and third-party administrators. purpose.
Commission plans to mark up all four bills Wednesday 10:15 am Eastern.
