07.18.2025 / Statement

Families USA’s Statement on the CMS Annual Proposed OPPS Rule

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Anthony Wright, Families USA’s Executive Director, issued the following statement in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) release of the annual proposed Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) Rule, which seeks to strengthen price transparency regulations and take important steps towards site neutral payment reform.

“While Families USA opposes efforts to repeal essential health equity quality measurement requirements for hospitals, we are encouraged to see the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) taking needed steps to pay the same price for the same service for the administration of medications regardless of where that care is delivered, and to ensure patients and families know the price of health care services before receiving care.

“For too long, big hospital corporations have been allowed to buy up physician practices and unfairly jack up health care prices with no accountability, forcing our nation’s families to receive care at higher cost settings for routine care. These unchecked hospital business practices mean families are faced with high hospital bills, forcing millions of Americans into medical debt. While more work is needed to strengthen price transparency requirements for hospitals, these provisions of the proposed rule are an important step forward and provide momentum for lawmakers to take further action to stop the abusive pricing practices of big health care corporations and prioritize the health and financial security of our nation’s families.

“Families USA has long supported same service, same price payment reforms, including those in this rule. We support finalizing these provisions of the proposed rule to the benefit of consumers and health care purchasers. At the same time, we urge Congress to re-engage in the bipartisan work needed to enact a more comprehensive site neutral payment package that builds off the Lower Costs More Transparency Act that the House passed in the last Congress.”

Families USA encourages stakeholders and advocates to submit comments in support of these policies in the proposed rule. We look forward to continuing to work with CMS to address the real drivers of high health care costs and work toward a day when everyone has access to the best health and health care at a price they can afford.