SPOKANE, Wash. — Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers is working on a bill to lower healthcare costs and make it easier to understand exactly how much healthcare will cost.
The Lower Costs, More Transparency Act was introduced in the United States House of Representatives on Sept. 8, 2023. The bill is sponsored by McMorris Rodgers and Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr., Jason Smith and Virginia Foxx. Its main priorities are to increase price transparency, address the cost of prescription drugs and offer support to everyone in the healthcare system, including patients.
According to the bill synopsis on the House Energy and Commerce website, nearly 90% of Americans support healthcare price transparency.
"This is major bipartisan achievement when it comes to helping drive down the cost of health care for patients," McMorris Rodgers said.
The bill seeks to achieve:
Increasing price transparency
- Giving patients accurate information about price, treatment, etc. and encouraging them to shop around to find the best deal
- Requiring all health care providers to publicly list their prices
- Lowering drug costs by requiring insurers and pharmacy benefit managers to tell patients about negotiated drug rebates
Addressing the cost of prescription drugs
- Lowering out-of-pocket costs for seniors (who get their medicine from a doctor's office or hospital-owned outpatient facility)
- Expanding access to generic drugs
- Including drug price information on employer health plans
Supporting everyone in the healthcare system
- Fully paying for expiring programs that strengthen the system
- Supporting community health centers, primarily in rural counties
- Supporting training programs for new doctors
- Preserving Medicaid for hospitals that care for uninsured and low-income patients
KREM 2 got a chance to speak one on one with McMorris Rodgers about what she hopes it will accomplish. You can watch the interview using the player below:
Just after 4:15 p.m. on Monday, the bill passed through the House in a 320-71 vote and will now make its way to the Senate. If the bill passes through the Senate, it will go to President Joe Biden's desk for his signature.
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