Description:
The bill would Protect patients from surprise medical billing and reduce payments to some health care providers working in facilities where surprise bills are likely Allow some generic or biosimilar drugs to enter the market earlier, on average, than under current law Impose new rules for insurers’ contracts with pharmacy benefit managers and health care providers Extend funding for community health centers and certain other federal health care programs Increase access to health, cost, and quality information among patients, providers, and insurers, which would create new administrative responsibilities that increase costs for insurers and pharmacy benefit managers Impose intergovernmental and private-sector mandates by prohibiting certain medical billing practices, limiting other commercial activities, and prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21, among many other duties Estimated budgetary effects would primarily stem from Reduced federal subsidies for health care and health insurance Increased direct spending for community health centers and other federal health programs Areas of significant uncertainty include Accurately anticipating the nature and effects of provider and insurer responses to the bill’s provisions Accurately projecting how federal and state agencies would implement the law Estimating quantities, sales, and market effects of introductions of new pharmaceutical products Determining how increased transparency would affect prices and private insurance premiums
