Rep. Harshbarger Medicare Transparency Bill Advances Out of Committee

US Rep. Diana Harshbarger’s Medicare transparency bill, the Promoting Transparency and Healthy Competition in Medicare Act, advanced out of the Energy and Commerce Committee this week. The bipartisan legislation would require public reporting of data from healthcare entities that have common ownership interests within the Medicare program, such as insurers that own pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), or healthcare providers. The legislation would require increased data reporting and transparency in Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage) and Medicare Part D (prescription drug coverage) plans, regarding how these common ownership interests interact with each other, in comparison to their interactions with independent pharmacies, physicians, or other healthcare entities that are not owned by insurance companies or PBMs. Harshbarger says when an insurance company owns the doctor you see, the pharmacy you visit, and the PBM that sets the price you pay for your prescriptions, patients have legitimate questions. She says “In order to ensure Medicare patients receive quality care at an affordable price, we must have transparency from healthcare entities that have consolidated every aspect of healthcare delivery under their umbrellas.”