Senate HELP Committee Votes to Advance Price Transparency Legislation

On July 22, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted to advance the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act (S.2355) by a roll call vote of 21-1.

Among the bill’s provisions are required disclosures from all Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments-certified clinical and anatomic pathology laboratories, including public rate sheets for specified clinical laboratory tests, updated monthly with any applicable changes, and “a plain language description of each item or service” with standard billing codes. Additionally, the bill requires explicit disclosure of standard discounted cash prices for patients paying out of pocket. These requirements would be effective July 1, 2027.

Any laboratories that fail to comply with these requirements would be subject to a civil monetary penalty of up to $300 per day. Starting in 2028, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary would have the enforcement discretion to increase the penalty.

In a July 2 letter addressed to HELP Committee leadership, Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Susan Van Meter, president of the American Clinical Laboratory Association, wrote that the committee should “refocus the scope of the legislation so that clinical laboratories are required to provide patients with the cash price for the testing services on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) list of ‘shoppable services,’ thereby providing actionable information to patients and avoiding duplicative and administratively costly requirements.”

Van Meter also noted the monthly reporting frequency for all tests imposes a “significant administrative burden with limited patient utility.” She referred to her suggested requirement to provide cash prices on the CMS list of shoppable services as a more workable solution.

On July 27, the bill was placed on the Senate legislative calendar under General Orders. It awaits floor debate and a final vote by the full Senate for passage.

Sources:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2355/text

https://www.help.senate.gov/hearings/the-following-agenda-to-be-considered-07-22-2026

https://www.acla.com/acla-comments-on-help-committee-price-transparency-working-draft/