Chair Rodgers: Health Care Price Transparency Will Make a Meaningful Difference for Patients
Washington, D.C. — At a press conference hosted by House Republican Leadership, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) delivered the following remarks touting passage of the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act to drive down the price of health care for patients:
CLICK HERE to view her remarks.
“Last night, we took an historic step forward to drive down health care costs with price transparency—something 95 percent of Americans support.
“We are empowering patients and employers to shop for health care and have access to accurate information about the cost of care, treatment, and services.
“I think about the person who saw her out-pocket costs skyrocket from 30 to 350 dollars after her doctor’s office was purchased by a hospital system.
“And the woman who was hit with bills totaling 11,000 dollars more than what she was originally quoted.
“Our bill helps patients like them, and it is a major bipartisan health care victory for the American people.
“I urge the Senate to help us send this to the President’s desk to make a meaningful difference in patients’ lives.”
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) delivered the following remarks on the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act:
“I do want to talk about just very briefly this health care bill because this is a big thing.
“I’m really grateful to Chairwoman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers and Energy and Commerce committee, her committee, for their leadership on this important issue.
“On top of spending $15 thousand more annually just to afford basic goods, American families we all know right now are struggling.
“And they have to content now of course with needlessly opaque inefficient and unaffordable health care system. We have to do something about that.
“So, the Lower Costs More Transparency Act that we’ll pass are House Republicans making good on our efforts to bring down the costs of health care and empower American people to make their own health care decisions and not have the government and bureaucrats in the way.
“The bill is a broad bipartisan supported piece of legislation.
“It arms patients with accurate and transparent information about the costs and care of prescription drugs, that’s a big deal as you’ve heard discussed here.
“It supports community health care centers and preserves Medicaid for hospitals that serve rural communities, many of them I represent in my district in Louisiana, and this is a critical and necessary assistance for rural health care providers make no mistake about that.
“And also this bill is going to expand access to generics and lower out of pocket costs for our seniors and they desperately need that relief, and we all know it.
“And here’s the kicker as was noted the entire package is fully offset.
“So it actually reduces the deficit by more than $700 million—what a concept.
“House Republicans are committed to making health care more affordable and prices more transparent and we are committed to doing so in a manner that is fiscally responsible and improves care for our constituents.”
CLICK HERE to read more about the H.R. 5378, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act.
CLICK HERE to read a section-by-section summary of the bill.
CLICK HERE to read the bill text.
READ:
Bipartisan Lower Costs, More Transparency Act Saves Seniors Money, Strengthens Medicare