After a decade of pushing for greater transparency and payment reform in health care, employers and other health care purchasers need to know how the latest federal policy developments impact these efforts.

Employers and other health care purchasers have pushed for over 10 years to have greater transparency into health care prices for themselves and their plan members.  This push has made it from the commercial sector to state legislatures and now to federal law.  But now that a federal law has passed, will we ever see it fully implemented?

Few are fans of the practice of surprise billing other than providers who stand to enhance their revenue. A new federal law prevents surprise billing, but will the arbitration process for paying out of network providers truly lower spending?

What about payment policy for telehealth?  Many states now require by law that virtual visits be paid at the same rate as in person visits.  The federal government established payment parity as part of the Public Health Emergency. In some cases, telehealth payment parity may make sense, but in others, it could simply serve as a permanent, unnecessary increase in health care spending.  Will parity lead to a permanent cost hike?

Looking ahead, what will the Biden administration or the other branches of the federal government do about anticompetitive behavior by health care providers with strong market power? How can purchasers contract for health care services and advocate with lawmakers to ensure smart policies are in place?

In this webcast, CPR’s executive director, Suzanne Delbanco, describes how CPR and its members have helped to change health care using their influence in the market and how public policies have the potential to bring their efforts to the next level.  Then, Katy Spangler of Spangler Strategies, updates attendees on the latest developments in DC around price transparency and surprise billing.  Following Katy, Tracy Watts, Mercer, shares federal updates on telehealth payment and efforts to stem anticompetitive behavior by health care providers.

Recorded November 16, 2021. Click below to watch the recording!