Transparency in All Health Care Pricing Act of 2019

Transparency in All Health Care Pricing Act of 2019

This bill requires the health care industry to publicly disclose the prices of products and services. Specifically, the bill requires entities that offer or furnish health care related products or services to the public, including health insurers and government agencies, to disclose the price for those products and services at the point of purchase and on the internet. The entities must disclose all prices, including wholesale, retail, and discounted prices, that are accepted as payment in full for products and services furnished to individual consumers.

The Department of Health and Human Services may investigate and impose civil penalties on entities that fail to comply with this requirement.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1409 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1409

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 27, 2019

Mr. Perlmutter (for himself, Mr. Gallagher, Mrs. Torres of California, 
Ms. Norton, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Neguse, and Mr. Raskin) 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 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 promote transparency in health care pricing, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Transparency in All Health Care 
Pricing Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. TRANSPARENCY IN ALL HEALTH CARE PRICING.

    (a) In General.--Any and all individuals or business entities, 
including hospitals, physicians, nurses, pharmacies, pharmaceutical 
manufacturers, dentists, and the insurance entities described in 
subsection (d), and any other health care related providers or issuers 
that offer or furnish health care related items, products, services, or 
procedures (as defined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services) 
for sale to the public shall publicly disclose, on a continuous basis, 
all prices for such items, products, services, or procedures in 
accordance with this section.
    (b) Manner of Disclosure.--The disclosure required under subsection 
(a) shall--
            (1) be made in an open and conspicuous manner;
            (2) be made available at the point of purchase, in print, 
        and on the internet; and
            (3) include all wholesale, retail, subsidized, discounted, 
        or other such prices the individuals or business entities 
        described in such subsection accept as payment in full for 
        items, products, services, or procedures such individuals or 
        business entities furnish to individual consumers.
    (c) Penalties.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services may 
investigate any and all individuals or business entities that fail to 
comply with the requirements of this section and may impose on such 
individuals or business entities civil fines, or other civil penalties, 
as determined appropriate by the Secretary.
    (d) Insurance Entity Described.--For purposes of this section, an 
insurance entity includes a health insurance issuer with respect to the 
offering of health insurance coverage, including in the individual 
market and small and large group market (as such terms are defined in 
section 2791 of the Public Health Service Act), a plan sponsor with 
respect to the offering of a group health plan (as defined in such 
section 2791), and entities responsible for the administration of 
governmental health plans (including the Centers for Medicare & 
Medicaid Services with respect to the Medicare program under title 
XVIII of the Social Security Act, State agencies responsible for 
administration of State plans under the Medicaid program under title 
XIX of such Act, or State child assistance plans under the State 
Children's Health Insurance Program under title XXI of such Act, and 
the Office of Personnel Management with respect to the Federal 
Employees Health Benefits Program under chapter 89 of title 5, United 
States Code).
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