Competition and Transparency - Media Flags

Across media outlets and policy platforms, a clear theme has emerged: employers are demanding real solutions to the rising cost of health care driven by consolidation, opaque pricing, and outdated payment structures. ERIC has taken a leading role in spotlighting how large hospital systems and intermediaries exploit market power, evade transparency rules, and resist reforms like site-neutral payments—all of which inflate costs for employers and workers. From op-eds and national news coverage, to letters of support for transparency legislation, employers and others are uniting to call for greater accountability, stronger enforcement, and systemic changes to restore competition and fairness in the health care marketplace.

• Congress Must Address the Health Care Cost Crisis Now, by ERIC President and CEO James Gelfand, Washington Times – 10/7/2025
  • Congress must pass bipartisan reforms such as the Price Tags bill and Better Care Act to increase competition, transparency, and accountability for rising health care prices that are negatively impacting businesses and working families.
• New Bipartisan Bill Aims to End Hospital Billing Games, ERIC Blog Post – 8/18/25
  • Employers strongly support the Fair Billing Act (S. 2497), a bipartisan bill aimed to increase billing transparency – a major step in ERIC’s work to combat unfair hospital facility fees.
• Price Transparency Works When Quality Is Figured In, by ERIC President and CEO James Gelfand and Leah Binder, President and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, Real Clear Health – 7/24/25
  • ERIC and Leapfrog highlight Administration activities and encourage the continuation of more transparency on quality and pricing for health care services.
• ERIC Highlights Consolidation As Cost Driver, Calls For Site Neutrality, Price Transparency, Inside Health Policy – 5/20/25
  • ERIC emphasizes that hospital consolidation drives up costs and urges Congress to pursue site-neutral payments and enforce price transparency to protect employers and patients.
• Big Hospitals, Big Money, and the Ripping Off of the American Taxpayer, by ERIC President & CEO James Gelfand and Brian Miller, MD, MBA, MPH, Real Clear Health – 5/6/25
  • ERIC’s James Gelfand and Dr. Brian Miller argue that large hospital systems exploit tax exemptions and lack of pricing oversight to overcharge taxpayers and employers.
• Hospitals keep dodging price transparency rules, leading Trump to take action — again, NBC News – 3/12/25
  • Despite federal rules, hospitals continue to evade price transparency requirements, prompting renewed enforcement efforts by Donald Trump.
• Tackling Health Care Consolidation: Congress Can Curb Costs, op-ed by ERIC President & CEO James Gelfand, Real Clear Health – 12/19/24
  • James Gelfand urges Congress to counter rising health care costs by addressing hospital consolidation and mandating transparent pricing practices.
• Employers lobby to keep health care prices transparent in hopes of containing costs, NPR – 12/19/24
  • Employers advocate for stronger healthcare price transparency laws to better control the skyrocketing costs of employee health benefits.
• Employers and benefits brokers unite to defend group health tax exclusion, Benefits Pro – 11/17/24
  • Employers and brokers jointly defend the tax-exempt status of employer-sponsored health benefits, warning that changes could raise costs.
• Hospital groups blast senators’ site-neutral Medicare payment reform plan, Fierce Healthcare – 11/5/24
  • Hospital groups oppose a Senate proposal to equalize Medicare payments across care settings, arguing it would hurt hospital revenue.
• Employers Urge Stronger Health Transparency as ERISA Turns 50, Bloomberg Law – 8/30/24
  • On ERISA’s 50th anniversary, employer groups call for stronger federal transparency measures to ensure fair and accountable health care pricing.
• Health and Employer Groups Push for Improved Health Pricing Transparency, PlanSponsor – 6/10/24
  • Coalitions of employers and advocacy groups intensify their push for better pricing transparency in health care to manage benefit spending.
• Legislation to Improve Health Billing Transparency Endorsed by ERISA Industry Committee, planadviser – 6/10/24
  • ERIC backs new legislation that aims to improve billing transparency and reduce surprise medical costs for employer-sponsored plans.
• Fight Brewing Over Health Benefits Preemption Gets House Hearing, Bloomberg News – 4/15/24
  • Lawmakers hear heated debate over whether federal ERISA laws should continue preempting state health benefit regulations.
• Insurers Reap Hidden Fees by Slashing Payments. You May Get the Bill, New York Times – 4/7/24
  • Insurers reduce provider payments and pass hidden costs to patients, creating surprise bills and raising concerns about opaque pricing practices.
• Updates to ERISA? Payers, hospitals share diverging recommendations with Congress, Fierce Healthcare – 3/19/24
  • Insurers and hospitals offer conflicting policy suggestions to Congress on updating ERISA, revealing tensions over control and transparency in health care.