Both chambers are pushing price transparency and reforms to curb surprise billing, with momentum that could spill into an end-of-year package even as Congress is in recess.

In the Senate, HELP has advanced the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act, which would require hospitals to publicly disclose cash prices and negotiated rates and impose penalties for noncompliance.

The Senate HELP Committee is also examining surprise billing, with bipartisan cooperation to prevent ineligible claims while ensuring timely payments to physicians.

In the House, the Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce committees have advanced hospital transparency measures, including the Lower Costs More Transparency Act of 2026, which drew strong bipartisan support during markup.

The House Ways and Means Committee is drafting legislation to overhaul the federal surprise billing law, with a potential markup as soon as September amid ongoing negotiations and implementation challenges.

The current surprise billing law from 2020 shields patients in certain in-network/out-of-network scenarios, but its independent dispute resolution process has produced inflated reimbursements and higher costs.

With limited days left in the current Congress, lawmakers are racing to advance health care priorities, raising urgency if party control shifts.

Proposed reforms blend penalties on insurers for missed payments with provisions to curb ineligible provider claims, addressing both payment timing and eligibility concerns.

Price transparency remains a top Republican priority as affordability dominates midterm discussions, with renewed efforts in both chambers to bolster transparency for hospitals and insurers.