HR Policy’s Margaret Faso Discusses Importance of Health Care Transparency on Panel

Margaret Faso, Executive Director of the American Health Policy Institute and Senior Director, Public Policy at HR Policy Association participated on a panel at the Midwest Business Group on Health’s Annual Conference discussing health care transparency legislation in Washington and the impact on health care costs for employers. 

The panel was moderated by Shawn Gremminger, President & CEO of the National Alliance for Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions and included Adam Buckalew, Founder, ALB Solutions, and Marilyn Bartlett, Senior Policy Fellow, Center for Health Systems Costs, National Academy for State Health Policy. 

Why it matters: HR Policy advocated for the passage of the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act last year and continues to work with the Senate as it drafts its own transparency legislation. In the statement, HR Policy reiterated its support for increased transparency, stating that the “opaque nature of the health care system has limited the ability of employers to manage their health care costs.”

The bottom line: “It really comes down to the ability to understand prices. Access to pricing, cost data, and claims data is so important. Without that employers are left in the dark and they have no way to be a good negotiator,” Ms. Faso said in addressing why passage of the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act will benefit employers.