Bill > HR2299

This bill aims to increase price transparency for Medicare beneficiaries by requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to publish estimated costs for medical items and services. Specifically, it mandates that a searchable website be made available to the public, detailing the estimated payment amounts for services provided in hospital outpatient departments and ambulatory surgery centers, as well as the estimated out-of-pocket costs (beneficiary liability) that patients would be responsible for. This information will be based on payment systems like the outpatient department fee schedule and the ambulatory surgical center payment system, and the Secretary is directed to use existing resources, such as the Physician Compare website, to implement this transparency initiative, with funding allocated from the Supplemental Medical Insurance Trust Fund.