Healthcare Cost Transparency Act

Bill: 116-hr-5121
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Beyer, Donald S., Jr. [D-VA-8]
Introduced: 2019-11-15
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Consumer affairs

Employee benefits and pensions

Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management

Health care costs and insurance

Health information and medical records
Latest action: action_date: 2019-11-18
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-11-15
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Healthcare Cost Transparency Act</b></p> <p>This bill requires health insurance issuers, including those issuing plans to federal employees, to make price comparison guidance available to plan holders. Specifically, issuers must employ staff or provide an online tool to compare a plan holder's cost-sharing responsibility between in-network providers for specific items or services.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 5121 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES November 15, 2019 Mr. Beyer introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce , and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and 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 amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act and chapter 89 of title 5, United States Code, to require health insurance issuers to maintain a price comparison tool, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Healthcare Cost Transparency Act . 2. Requiring health insurance issuers to maintain a price comparison tool (a) PHSA Section 2709 of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300gg–9 ) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: (c) Maintenance of price comparison tool In connection with the offering of any health insurance coverage in a geographic area for a plan year beginning on or after January 1, 2020, a health insurance issuer shall employ an individual to offer price comparison guidance or make available on an Internet website a price comparison tool that (to the extent practicable) allows an individual enrolled under such coverage, with respect to such plan year and such geographic area, to compare the amount (determined by historic claims data of participating providers with respect to such coverage) of cost-sharing (including deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance) that the individual would be responsible for paying under such plan with respect to the furnishing of a specific item or service by any of such providers. . (b) FEHB (1) In general Section 8902 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: (p) A contract for a plan under this chapter, chapter 89A, or 89B shall require the applicable carrier to make available on an Internet website an individual to offer price comparison guidance or the price comparison tool, as described under subsection (c) of section 2709 of Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300gg–9 ). . (2) Application The amendment made by paragraph (1) shall apply to contract years beginning in 2020.