Lawmakers Consider Site Neutrality, MA Clampdown to Control Costs

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.