The Lower Costs, More Transparency Leadership Act — the work of the House Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means and Education and the Workforce committees — was originally scheduled for a vote in September, but was abruptly pulled amid a broader fight over government spending and concerns that there weren’t enough Democrats on board.
The legislation is being voted on under a suspension of the rules, meaning it needs the support of two-thirds of the chamber to pass.
It passed the Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously, but in September it faced opposition from key Democrats like Rep. Richard Neal (Mass.), the top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, who opposed the bill because it did not contain any provisions regarding private equity ownership of health facilities.
Among other provisions, the bill would ban spread pricing from pharmacy benefit managers and add site-neutral payment reforms to Medicare, meaning reimbursement is the same for the same medical care, regardless of where it’s delivered.
The site-neutral payment provisions have drawn the ire of the hospital industry, which support other parts of the bill.
The legislation “is a victory for everyone who has ever struggled to navigate and understand the cost of a health care procedure or a prescription drug at the pharmacy counter,” Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (N.J.), the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce panel, said ahead of the vote.
“These measures will empower consumers and employers with data on the prices hospitals charge and the rates insurers pay so that they can compare prices and save money,” he added.
