WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) introduced the Clinical Laboratory Price Transparency Act which will provide patients with clear price transparency when making health care decisions regarding clinical laboratory tests. This bill will require clinical labs to publish their health care prices and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to monitor compliance.

“Unknown health care prices should not be a factor patients are worried about when making health care decisions,” said Congresswoman Miller. “Patients should know their health care treatment prices upfront and not be surprised by sky-high bills they didn’t know they would be getting charged for. This legislation provides price transparency for patients when considering basic lab tests and ensures the patient is in control of their health care decisions and wellbeing.”

“Too often, American families are unable to obtain up-front price information for basic procedures like blood draws and tests,” said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08). “I want to thank Rep. Miller for her leadership in introducing the Clinical Laboratory Price Transparency Act that will empower patients to comparison shop for affordable, quality lab work in their community.”

Click here for bill text.

Background:

• The Clinical Laboratory Price Transparency Act will require labs, effective January 1, 2025, under Medicare to publish their health care prices, require CMS to provide standard reporting formats for providers to use, and ensure CMS specifies the services to which transparency will apply while monitoring compliance.
• This legislation will be included in a larger price transparency package to be marked-up by the Ways and Means Committee on July 26th, 2023.