I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4700 

To provide for transparency in health care pricing, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 25, 2010 

Mr. KAGEN (for himself, Mr. FOSTER, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. BOSWELL, Mr. 

LOEBSACK, Mr. PERRIELLO, Mr. BRALEY of Iowa, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. 

KLEIN of Florida, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. HASTINGS of 

Florida, Mr. STUPAK, Mr. COHEN, Ms. PINGREE of Maine, Mr. WELCH, 

Ms. MCCOLLUM, and Mr. HODES) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition 

to the Committees on Ways and Means and Oversight and Government 

Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To provide for transparency in health care pricing, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Transparency in All 

5 Health Care Pricing Act of 2010’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. TRANSPARENCY IN ALL HEALTH CARE PRICING. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Any and all individuals or busi3 ness entities, including hospitals, physicians, nurses, phar4 macies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, dentists, and the 

5 insurance entities described in subsection (d), and any 

6 other health care related providers or issuers that offer 

7 or furnish health care related items, products, services, or 

8 procedures (as defined by the Secretary of Health and 

9 Human Services) for sale to the public shall publicly dis10 close, on a continuous basis, all prices for such items, 

11 products, services, or procedures in accordance with this 

12 section. 

13 (b) MANNER OF DISCLOSURE.—The disclosure re14 quired under subsection (a) shall— 

15 (1) be made in an open and conspicuous man16 ner; 

17 (2) be made available at the point of purchase, 

18 in print, and on the Internet; and 

19 (3) include all wholesale, retail, subsidized, dis20 counted, or other such prices the individuals or busi21 ness entities described in such subsection accept as 

22 payment in full for items, products, services, or pro23 cedures such individuals or business entities furnish 

24 to individual consumers. 

25 (c) PENALTIES.—The Secretary of Health and 

26 Human Services may investigate any and all individuals 


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1 or business entities that fail to comply with the require2 ments of this section and may impose on such individuals 

3 or business entities civil fines, or other civil penalties, as 

4 determined appropriate by the Secretary. 

5 (d) INSURANCE ENTITY DESCRIBED.—For purposes 

6 of this section, an insurance entity includes a health insur7 ance issuer with respect to the offering of health insurance 

8 coverage, including in the individual market and small and 

9 large group market (as such terms are defined in section 

10 2791 of the Public Health Service Act), a plan sponsor 

11 with respect to the offering of a group health plan (as 

12 defined in such section 2791), and entities responsible for 

13 the administration of governmental health plans (includ14 ing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services with re15 spect to the Medicare program under title XVIII of the 

16 Social Security Act, State agencies responsible for admin17 istration of State plans under the Medicaid program under 

18 title XIX of such Act, or State child assistance plans 

19 under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program 

20 under title XXI of such Act, and the Office of Personnel 

21 Management with respect to the Federal Employees 

22 Health Benefits Program under chapter 89 of title 5, 

23 United States Code). 

Æ 


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