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First look: Hern and Kuster unveil dishonest billing measure

Peter Sullivan
Illustration of the cover of a weekly planner notebook embossed with a gavel and block.

Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios

Site-neutral payments may have largely been dropped from the E&C markup, but there is still building activity in taking some sort of action on that front.

Driving the news: Reps. Kevin Hern and Annie Kuster are introducing a bill Wednesday to establish unique identification numbers for providers, so Medicare and commercial insurers can better understand where care is being performed and pay the correct amount.

Why it matters: It's not every day you see the chair of the RSC and the chair of the New Democrats team up on a bill that could save Medicare money.

  • The measure, which is similar to one included in the E&C markup today, shows the broad ideological backing for action here.
  • "We are spending $4 trillion a year on health care," Hern said in a statement. "It is time for Congress to identify government policies driving up cost and unhealthy market consolidation."
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