AHA shares comments with House E&C Committee on price transparency during markup

The AHA provided comments to the House Energy and Commerce Committee July 21 on two price transparency bills the full committee considered during a markup. The AHA said that the inclusion of specific posting requirements in the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act (H.R. 9393) would limit flexibility for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to improve data requirements reflecting an evolving transparency environment. The AHA also asked for clarification from the committee regarding the legislative language specifying whether price estimator tools can be used to meet the shoppable services requirement. The AHA expressed support for other provisions in the bill, including those calling for insurers to post prior authorization transparency data and streamline prior authorization requirements. The bill passed the committee 45-0. The association shared concerns on the Prices on the Wall Act (H.R. 9390), saying that requirements for hospitals to post discounted cash prices could make it harder for some patients to determine which payment option best serves their individual circumstances, and that a static price list may not reflect the full range of services and changes associated with a course of treatment. The bill passed the committee 24-21 on a party line vote.