2023: Schweikert Voted Against Funding An Expansion Of Health Care Cost Transparency Provisions. In December 2023, according to Congressional Quarterly, Schweikert voted against "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]