2023: Fitzpatrick Voted To Fund An Expansion Of Health Care Cost
Transparency Provisions. In December 2023, according to Congressional
Quarterly, Fitzpatrick voted for "the bill, as amended, that would
extend, for just over two years, funding for several public health
programs, including community health centers, and it includes a wide
range of provisions intended to help reduce consumer health care and
drug costs by increasing pricing transparency and requiring certain
other actions. Among other provisions, it would require health insurance
companies and pharmacy benefit managers to regularly provide detailed
information on prescription drug costs and the drug rebates they receive
to provide pricing transparency, and it codifies and expands two sets of
Trump administration pricing transparency rules --- one dealing with
hospital pricing transparency, which it extends to other medical
facilities while incorporating new enforcement mechanisms, and the other
focused on pricing transparency for employer-based group health plans
and insurers. The bill would also prohibit certain pharmacy benefit
manager pricing practices with respect to Medicaid, and it includes
provisions intended to reduce health care costs for individuals,
employer-sponsored health plans, and the federal government. To
implement the bill's provisions, the measure would provide a total of
$65 million for the Health and Human Services and Treasury departments,
and $35 million for the Labor Department." The vote was on passage. The
House passed the bill by a vote of 320 to 71, thus the bill was sent to
the Senate. [House Vote 708,
12/11/23; Congressional
Quarterly, 12/11/23;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
5378]
Hospitals Opposed The Bill Due To Cuts To Medicare Payments They
Receive Despite Delays In Medicaid Payment Cuts. According to
Congressional Quarterly, "Hospitals fought provisions of the bill
that would reduce Medicare payments to hospital outpatient
departments for drug administration services such as chemotherapy.
[...] But so-called 'site-neutral' payments have been a priority
of Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., who
argues the current practice of paying hospital outpatient
departments more than physician practices to deliver the same
services doesn't make any sense. Estimates put the 10-year savings
amount for that provision at $3.7 billion. [...] The bill also
includes something hospitals wanted --- a delay in $8 billion in
cuts to hospitals that serve high numbers of Medicaid patients ---
but that hasn't been enough to quiet their objections."
[Congressional Quarterly,
12/11/23]
The Bill Banned Spread Pricing For Medicaid. According to
Congressional Quarterly, "The transparency bill would also ban
spread pricing in Medicaid, a practice in which PBMs charge plans
more for a drug than what the pharmacy is reimbursed."
[Congressional Quarterly,
12/11/23]
The Bill Reauthorized Funding For Multiple Programs Including
Community Health Centers. According to Congressional Quarterly,
"it would reauthorize funding for community health centers, the
National Health Service Corps, Teaching Health Centers Graduate
Medical Education Programs and the Special Diabetes Program."
[Congressional Quarterly,
12/11/23]