HR Policy Presses Congress to Increase Health Care Price Transparency

HR Policy encouraged a bipartisan group of Senators to improve health care price and information transparency.  HR Policy's letter was in response to a request from Sens. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tom Carper (D-DE), Todd Young (R-IN), and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) seeking input from various groups as they develop legislation to improve price transparency in the health care market.  The Association noted that "employers sponsoring self-insured health plans have a fiduciary duty under ERISA to manage plan assets prudently" and that "an important part of performing this duty is access to price and quality data for the health care claims that are paid by self-insured employers."  The letter specifically recommends Congress:

• Enable self-insured employers to have ownership and full access to their medical claims, administrative data, and other health data held by carriers, providers, PBMs, and consultants – assuming all patient confidentiality requirements are met; and

• Require Medicare to make its claims data public with appropriate privacy safeguards.