House Commerce Panel Passes Bill 45 to 0 Requiring Health Plans to Disclose Negotiated Rates With Providers

The House Energy and Commerce Committee forwarded H.R. 9393, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act of 2026, to the full House on July 21, 2026, by a vote of 45 to 0. The bipartisan bill, led by Chairman Brett Guthrie and Ranking Member Frank Pallone, builds on existing federal hospital price transparency rules by extending disclosure requirements to ambulatory surgical centers, clinical laboratories, and imaging providers.

A key provision requires health insurers to disclose their negotiated payment rates with providers. That requirement is particularly relevant to Medicare Advantage plans, which negotiate rates independently with hospitals and physician groups and have generally kept those figures private. Greater plan-level transparency could allow regulators, researchers, and enrollees to better assess whether Medicare Advantage plans are pricing competitively in a given market.

The bill also addresses pharmacy benefit managers, though some PBM transparency provisions were previously enacted in earlier legislation.

For Medicare enrollees, the insurer requirements complement any future CMS rulemaking on Medicare Advantage transparency. The bill still needs a full House vote and reconciliation with any Senate companion before it could be enacted.