Health Care — House votes on health care transparency bill after stall

Presented by AstraZeneca — The bill was originally scheduled for a vote in September, but was abruptly pulled amid a broader fight over government spending and concerns that there weren't enough Democrats on board.

View Online Health Care Health Care PRESENTED BY ASTRAZENECA The Big Story  House to vote on health care transparency bill after stall The House was set to vote Monday night on a bipartisan bill aimed at increasing transparency among insurers, hospitals and pharmacy benefit managers.  © iStock The Lower Costs, More Transparency Leadership Act — the work of the House Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means and Education and the Workforce committees — was originally scheduled for a vote in September, but was abruptly pulled amid a broader fight over government spending and concerns that there weren't enough Democrats on board.   The legislation is being voted on under a suspension of the rules, meaning it needs the support of two-thirds of the chamber to pass.     It passed the Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously, but in September it faced opposition from key Democrats like Rep. Richard Neal (Mass.), the top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, who opposed the bill because it did not contain any provisions regarding private equity ownership of health facilities.   Among other provisions, the bill would ban spread pricing from pharmacy benefit managers and add site-neutral payment reforms to Medicare, meaning reimbursement is the same for the same medical care, regardless of where it's delivered.     The site-neutral payment provisions have drawn the ire of the hospital industry, which support other parts of the bill.    The legislation "is a victory for everyone who has ever struggled to navigate and understand the cost of a health care procedure or a prescription drug at the pharmacy counter," Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (N.J.), the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce panel, said ahead of the vote.     "These measures will empower consumers and employers with data on the prices hospitals charge and the rates insurers pay so that they can compare prices and save money," he added. Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: Supreme Court leaves intact Washington state conversion therapy ban The Supreme Court said it won't review Washington state's conversion therapy ban for minors, allowing the law to remain in effect.  Full Story House panel demands info from former top Cuomo aide on nursing home deaths Republican members of the House select subcommittee on the coronavirus pandemic are demanding answers from a top aide to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) regarding the state's COVID-19 nursing home policies.  Committee Chair Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) and Rep. 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Give Them Hope.  In Other News  Branch out with a different read from The Hill: 5 countries in East and southern Africa have anthrax outbreaks, WHO says, with 20 deaths reported CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Five countries in East and southern Africa are in the middle of outbreaks of the anthrax disease, with more than 1,100 suspected cases and 20 deaths this year, the World Health Organization said Monday. A total of 1,166 suspected cases had been reported in Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Thirty-seven … Full Story Around the Nation  Local and state headlines on health care: Law bans no-consent pelvic and rectal exams in Pennsylvania (CBS News)  CDC rift with Cal/OSHA over when to use N95 masks could put California health workers at risk again (San Francisco Chronicle)  Supreme Courts in 3 states will hear cases about abortion access this week (NPR)  What We're Reading  Health news we've flagged from other outlets: Why haven't more older adults gotten the R.S.V. vaccine? 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