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Democrats and Republicans in the Senate have joined forces to propose a law they say will help fix a problem experienced by at least 40 percent of Americans — surprise medical bills. Surprise medical bills are frequently the result of patients receiving treatment from a health care provider that they didn't know was not covered by their health insurance. In a bill they will introduce to the Senate Thursday, co-sponsors Democrat Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Republican Bill Cassidy of Louisiana want to make health care providers negotiate these out-of-network charges with the insurance companies before billing the patient. (Bomin and Gosk, 5/15)

Days after President Trump called for action last week, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) and ranking member Greg Walden (R-Ore.) on Tuesday released a draft bill to tackle the problem, a sign of momentum on the issue. A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the upper chamber, led by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), plan to release their own legislation this week. (Sullivan, 5/15)

The measure comes from lawmakers including Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., who last year offered different ways of stopping patients with insurance from getting bills for out-of-network medical care received during emergencies or from a provider they did not realize was out-of-network. “We have worked for almost a year with patient groups, doctors, insurers and hospitals to refine this proposal,” Cassidy said in a statement. “This is a bipartisan solution ensuring patients are protected and don’t receive surprise bills that are uncapped by anything but a sense of shame.” (McIntire, 5/16)

The Trump administration has been working behind the scenes for months on a strategy to force greater price disclosure across much of the $3.5 trillion health-care industry. The push relies on existing administrative tools, according to people familiar with the discussions. Those include Labor Department powers under the law that sets minimum standards for private-industry health plans and current hospital-payment rules under Medicare. (Armour, 5/15)

A new website launching first in Kansas City aims to help consumers buy medical care the same way they might buy flights and hotel rooms: online, with upfront pricing. And, like some of the deals advertised on travel sites, some of the prices can be steeply discounted, like $29 for a teeth cleaning with X-rays, or $79 for a 60-minute MRI. (Marso, 5/15)