Education and the Workforce Committee Passes Landmark Health Care Package
WASHINGTON – Today, the Education and the Workforce Committee passed a comprehensive health care package comprised of four bills introduced by Committee Members: H.R. 4509, Transparency in Billing Act, H.R. 4507, Transparency in Coverage Act, H.R. 4527, Health DATA Act, and H.R. 4508, Hidden Fee Disclosure Act.
“Transparency in health care is essential for fostering meaningful competition, which keeps costs in check for both consumers and employers. The package of bipartisan health care bills the Committee on Education and the Workforce advanced is a meaningful step to shining a light on many of the commonplace, yet harmful, practices in the health care industry. Moreover, this package will help reduce costs for consumers and will help employers meet their obligation to ensure that their workers' premium dollars are spent carefully,” said Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott. “The American people deserve to know the full picture of the prices they are asked to pay. I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for leading these proposals that will help ensure that health care costs are driven by those who provide the highest quality services—not those who have the most market power. And I am hopeful that our bipartisan work continues after today’s mark up to make our health care system work for patients and families.”
“Dishonest billing, opaque rules, and shady industry practices have left patients paying higher costs for health care. Today’s passage of our bipartisan health care package makes great strides towards giving clarity to patients and building a health care system that is more transparent, affordable, and accessible,”said Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC). “I thank Ranking Member Scott and my colleagues on the Committee for their work on these important bills.”
The package includes four bills:
- Transparency in Billing Act
- Authored by Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Chairwoman Foxx (R-NC)
- Requires accurate billing practices by hospitals, ensuring that group health plans pay for appropriately billed services
- Transparency in Coverage Act
- Authored by Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) and Chairman Bob Good (R-VA)
- Codifies the "Transparency in Coverage" final rule, which provides consumers with price transparency for medical services and prescription drugs
- Brings much needed light to Pharmacy Benefit Managers' (PBMs) business practices
- Health DATA Act
- Authored by Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA), Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC), and Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR)
- Ensures health plan fiduciaries are not contractually restricted from receiving cost or quality of care information about their plan
- Hidden Fee Disclosure Act
- Authored by Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) and Rep. Erin Houchin (R-IN)
- Strengthens requirements that PBMs and Third-Party Administrators (TPAs) disclose compensation to plan fiduciaries
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