Lawmakers Consider Site Neutrality, MA Clampdown to Control Costs

Feb 02
Feb 02, 2024

As health care costs continue to rise, Congress may take up site-neutral payment reform or other cost control measures in coming years, if a Jan. 31 House of Representatives hearing is any indication. The House recently passed a bill, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act (LCMTA), that includes limited site neutrality and PBM reforms, but some Congress members floated more aggressive cost-control interventions in the health care system — including tougher scrutiny on Medicare Advantage plans.

During the Jan. 31 hearing, the leaders of the House Energy & Commerce’s Health subcommittee — chairman Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and ranking member Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) — both said that the LCMTA didn’t go far enough to control costs.
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Peter Johnson

Peter has worked as a journalist since 2011 and has covered health care since 2020. At AIS Health, Peter covers trends in finance, business and policy that affect the health insurance and pharma sectors. For Health Plan Weekly, he covers all aspects of the U.S. health insurance sector, including employer-sponsored insurance, Medicaid managed care, Medicare Advantage and the Affordable Care Act individual marketplaces. In Radar on Drug Benefits, Peter covers the operations of (and conflicts between) pharmacy benefit managers and pharmaceutical manufacturers, with a particular focus on pricing dynamics and market access. Before joining AIS Health, Peter covered transportation, public safety and local government for various outlets in Seattle, his hometown and current place of residence. He graduated with a B.A. from Colby College.