Article
What the committees did
On July 21, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved two bills. The Lower Costs, More Transparency Act (H.R. 9393) cleared 45-0. The Prices on the Wall Act (H.R. 9390), which would require hospitals to post discounted cash prices, passed 24-21 along party lines.
A day later, the Senate HELP Committee took up the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act (S. 2355). It would require hospitals, insurers, labs, imaging providers and ambulatory surgery centers to disclose standard charges, discounted cash prices, payer-specific negotiated rates and ownership information. The committee batched it with other measures, including Title VIII nursing workforce reauthorization and a rural obstetrics readiness bill, and approved the package 22-1.
Where hospitals are pushing back
The AHA backed parts of the House package, including requirements for insurers to post prior authorization data and simplify their requirements. It objected to other provisions. It argued that fixing posting details in statute would limit CMS’s ability to adjust data requirements over time, and it asked lawmakers to confirm that price estimator tools can satisfy the shoppable services requirement. It also warned that mandatory cash-price posting could leave some patients unsure which payment option suits them best.
On the Senate bill, the association said a revised manager’s amendment still adds reporting work that would be costly to maintain, especially for small and rural hospitals.
What executives should do before floor votes
None of these bills is law yet, and the House and Senate versions differ. But bipartisan votes this lopsided suggest some version is likely to move. Leaders can prepare without waiting for final text:
- Audit your current files. Confirm your machine-readable file and shoppable services display meet today’s CMS rules. A statute would likely raise penalties for gaps.
- Decide your cash-price position. Know what your discounted cash prices are, how they compare with negotiated rates, and how you would explain them publicly.
- Test your estimator. Make sure patient estimates are accurate and easy to find, since they may become the main compliance path.
- Prepare ownership disclosures. Gather information on owners, joint ventures and affiliated entities in case disclosure becomes mandatory.
- Brief the board. Price posting is now a reputational issue as much as a compliance task.
Archive entry for Jul 22, 2026, added Nov. 11, 2026.