Bill > S3848

This bill, the "Apples to Apples Comparison Act of 2026," mandates that the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) publish detailed information about Medicare expenditures on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) public website, starting in 2027. This information will be provided in machine-readable files and will include total and average expenditures broken down by county and Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which are geographic regions defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. The data will be further categorized by various groups of Medicare beneficiaries, including those only eligible for Part A (hospital insurance), only enrolled in Part B (medical insurance), or both, and will also specify enrollment in prescription drug plans (Part D), Medicare Advantage plans (Part C), or other federal health programs and private plans. Additionally, the bill requires the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC), starting in 2027, to analyze and compare average expenditures for individuals in Medicare Advantage plans versus those in traditional Medicare (Parts A and B), considering factors like out-of-pocket limits, supplemental benefits, and demographic differences, while excluding favorable selection differences. Finally, the Boards of Trustees for Medicare's trust funds will also be required to include similar disaggregated expenditure information in their annual reports, beginning in 2027.

Budget and Finance

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3848/all-info