Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate have proposed nearly three dozen specific bipartisan provisions that will reduce the cost of what Americans pay for health care, according to U.S. Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee.
Alexander made this announcement Thursday on his Twitter page and posted a video to go along with it.
The video touted “Better Outcomes, Better Experiences” and “Lower Cost.”
Specifically, Alexander said the bill will do the following:
• Stop Surprise Medical Bills – so Americans don’t get an unexpected $3,000 bill from an out-of-network doctor after a hospital visit.
• Lower the cost of prescription drugs – for example, by bringing low-cost drugs to market faster for patients by increasing competition.
• Restore discipline to the health care market– for example, by banning gag clauses that prevent employers from letting their employees know that a knee replacement might cost $15,000 in one hospital and $35,000 at another hospital.
• Help Americans lead healthier lives – for example, by making it easier to access specialty care, especially for those living in rural areas.
• Make it as easy to get your personal medical records as it is to book an airplane flight – Improving electronic health records will also allow doctors to spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients.
As reported in February, Alexander appeared on The Tennessee Star report and discussed health care costs with hosts Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy.
This, after U.S. Republican President Donald Trump’s most recent State of the Union Address.
“I appreciated his optimism and I liked his focus on reducing healthcare costs. I mean that’s an area we ought to be able to do something about,” Alexander said.
“He talked about surprise medical billings. More transparency. He’s talked about these rebates or discounts that never find their way to the consumers. So, I thought it was good professionally done State of the Union address. I suspect that across the country people who watched it were impressed with it.”
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Lamar Alexander Video” by Lamar Alexander.
