The House Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on June 10 titled ‘Lowering Health Care Costs for All Americans: Examining Policies to Increase Health Care Transparency.’ The session, led by Congressman Morgan Griffith, focused on legislative efforts aimed at making health care pricing clearer for patients and employers.
Griffith said, “For too long, patients, families, and employers have faced a health system where the cost of care is often unclear—sometimes even until after care is delivered. Building on the foundation established by President Trump’s transparency initiatives, we have focused on policies that increase competition, expand consumer choice, reduce regulatory burdens, and strengthen transparency throughout the health care system.”
Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks discussed the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act of 2026. She said many patients still lack access to clear information about service costs and noted challenges created by prior authorizations in insurance processes. Miller-Meeks asked how requiring commercial health plans to disclose more data would benefit employers. In response, Mr. Gremminger said: “So first, I’ll just say we very much support the discussion draft. I think the employer perspective on prior authorization [and] utilization management is a nuanced one… We have seen too often where physicians may inadvertently or potentially intentionally prescribe drugs that are higher priced than what’s otherwise necessary or try to do services that are unnecessary and may actually be harmful to patients. That’s a rarity. But we think it’s important that there is actually an opportunity to say, ‘Time out; let’s look at something else.’ That being said, we do believe that the significant use of prior auth is often simply to just delay care… Understanding how often prior auth is being used—not just by the carriers that we may be contracted with but by other carriers—will then provide more information for employers…”
Congressman John James highlighted another bill under consideration—the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act—saying: “The idea behind this legislation is simple: it will make it easier for patients to price-compare when getting medical treatment so they can pick the lowest cost option—just like they do in every other aspect of their lives… The people are forced to blindly pay whatever it costs because hospital prices are confusing and hard to find… Patients Deserve Price Tags was part of a bipartisan Lower Costs, More Transparency legislation the House approved last term.”
Congressman Nick Langworthy addressed his support for greater price clarity through the Clear Healthcare Expense Cost Knowledge (CHECK) Act: “The CHECK Act is designed to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding health care costs… When you go to a restaurant you get a menu. There are prices on it… Health care should be no different.”
The House Energy and Commerce Committee oversees legislation related to energy policy, health care issues such as pharmaceutical pricing and consumer protection matters including telecommunications regulation; its work has influenced energy innovation and broadband deployment, according to the official website. Established in 1795 as one of Congress’s oldest standing committees originally named Committee on Commerce and Manufactures, its jurisdiction continues shaping national policy.