Representative Aaron Bean (R-FL) is introducing legislation to improve the transparency of Medicare costs for consumers.
Specifically, Rep. Bean's Apples to Apples Comparison Act requires the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) to improve accuracy in listing costs and potential outcomes of healthcare policies, such as Medicare Advantage (MA) and Fee-For-Service (FFS).
The difference between the two is that MA plans bear the full risk of providing Medicare benefits within the capitated payment. In other words, the healthcare plan is more coordinated. Fee-for-service systems, by contrast, pay providers based on the number of services they perform, regardless of the relative appropriateness of those services.
However, Rep. Bean noted that the difference in costs is not always clear, and with Medicare spending already reaching $1.3 trillion in 2025 alone, ensuring plans are presented accurately is critical.
"Healthcare decisions are complicated enough, and seniors shouldn't have to compare apples to oranges in order to make good choices," the Florida Congressman said in his press release, adding, "The Apples to Apples Act ensures that seniors have accurate and comparable information when choosing which Medicare program works best for their lifestyle and budget."
Representative Kevin Hern (R-OK), the bill's cosponsor, said, "Greater transparency is needed in all aspects of the healthcare market because transparency helps patients."
"The Medicare market has long needed new transparency measures. This bill will do the job," Rep. Hern continued, adding, "It's important for us to understand how the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) uses their cost data and ensure they are bringing fair market prices to seniors across this country. Our seniors deserve the best care at the lowest price, and I'm proud to cosponsor this bill to help us get there."
In April, Bean introduced the Flexible Savings Arrangements for Healthy Robust America (FSA-HRA), which amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 so that unused funds for Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA), which must usually be spent by the end of the year or lost, can instead be transferred into an HSA in connection with establishing coverage under a High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) without taxation.
