House members of three main committees on Friday introduced bipartisan health care bills aimed at addressing price transparency, prescription drug costs and investment in the workforce, already advanced by their respective committees. Integrated the countermeasures that had been taken.
Leaders on the House Energy and Commerce, Ways and Education, and Workforce committees have signed a number of bills focused on improving the affordability of health care called “Cost Reduction, Increase Transparency.” introduced the law.
Rep. Kathy McMorris Rogers (R-W.A., R-W.A.) said, “Our bipartisan bill addresses what patients rightfully want: the right care at the right time. And we’re reaching this moment by giving patients the ability to know and pay for it.” ), the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Commission said in a statement.
“It reduces costs by giving patients the healthcare pricing information they need to make the best decisions for them and their families. This is supported by 95 percent of Americans.”
The law includes provisions for the Patients Act, introduced in May, which require hospitals to publish standard prices for all items and services in an easy-to-read format. The bill would also require up-front transparency regarding the cost of imaging services and lab tests, as well as require pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) to provide spending data to employers.
Taking PBM further, the bill includes measures to ban the practice of spread pricing in Medicaid. Spread pricing refers to charging the insurance company more for the drug than the PBM would pay the pharmacy, maintaining the resulting “spread.” His PBMs contracted with managed care organizations are prohibited from spread pricing.
“This bill represents what our commissions are doing best: working together to deliver bipartisan results for the American people. I would like to thank my colleagues for working with us,” said Rep. Frank Pallone (DN.J.), a prominent member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Beyond price transparency, the package expands investments in Community Health Center Funds, National Health Service Corps, Special Diabetes Programs for Research and Health Worker Training Programs.
At the same time, the bill would cut $7 billion from the Medicaid Improvement Fund (which specifically seeks to improve hospitals and the portion of Medicaid that provides health insurance) and remove Medicaid’s disproportionate share of payments to hospitals. It proposes to cut $8 billion over two years. To the hospitals that receive the majority of people on Medicaid and those without insurance.
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