Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tom Carper (D-DE), Todd Young (R-IN), and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) are seeking feedback from the health care and patient communities as they develop legislation to improve price transparency in the health care market and lower costs. The senators are specifically seeking responses to a dozen questions ranging from regulatory barriers to big data to cash prices.
 
“Real world experience and evidence-based policies from health care stakeholders and experts will be important to craft a policy that most positively affects consumers and involves best practices from providers and states,” the bipartisan group wrote to stakeholders. “We all agree that health care costs are too high and now is time to move towards a system that is more open, efficient, and accountable to the needs of the modern patient.”



Recipients of the letter include the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), the Commonwealth Foundation, the American Hospital Association (AHA), the American Medical Association (AMA), the Federation of American Hospitals (FAH), the Association of Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Health Group, the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Foundation for Government Accountability, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the National Governors Association (NGA), the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI), the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), the American College of Surgeons, the Heritage Foundation, the Erisa Industry Committee (ERIC), the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Families USA, the Kaiser Family Foundation, the National Association Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), America’s Essential Hospitals, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA), the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), the Council for Affordable Health Coverage (CAHC), the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), the Hoover Institute, and the National Coalition on Health Care (NCHC).