On July 16, 2019, the Congressional Budget Office
("CBO") released a Cost Estimate for Senate Bill S. 1895, the "Lower Health
Care Costs Act." The bipartisan bill, introduced June 19,
2019, intends to end surprise medical bills, reduce the prices of
prescription drugs, improve transparency in health care costs, and
increase public health awareness and access to health
information.
The legislation would implement a number of reforms to the
manner in which health care is currently provided. Among the
sweeping and far-reaching changes proposed, key provisions include
protections for patients from out-of-network expenses for services
provided at in-network facilities; prohibitions on drug
manufacturers delaying the market entry of generics or biosimilars;
a ban on gag clauses on price and product information; a ban on
anticompetitive terms in facility and insurance contracts that
limit access to higher quality, lower cost care; and funding for a
national public awareness
