Today, Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC) issued the following statement on her introduction of the Transparency in Billing Act alongside Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA). “Patients should always have the information they need to make informed health care decisions – this includes understanding the true costs associated with care.
Support legislation to improve transparency in medical billing so patients can understand the true costs associated with care.
Occurrences
I’m proud to put forward this bipartisan solution with Representative Scott to increase transparency and provide a positive course correction that puts patients first.
introduced the following bill ... To amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to require group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group health insurance coverage to only pay claims submitted by hospitals that have in place policies and procedures to ensure accurate billing practices, and for other purposes.
introduced the Transparency in Billing Act
Evidence
H.R. 4509, sponsored by Rep. Foxx, was reported by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and placed on the Union Calendar on 11/01/2023. Congress.gov shows the bill’s status as Introduced, with latest action being committee reporting rather than final enactment.
The bill text states it would require group health plans and health insurance issuers to only pay claims submitted by hospitals that have policies and procedures to ensure accurate billing practices, for the purpose of improving billing transparency and patient understanding of costs.
Congress.gov’s all-info page for H.R. 4509 lists the bill as introduced by Rep. Foxx and provides no indication of enactment beyond committee reporting and calendar placement.
GovInfo identifies H.R. 8684 as the Transparency in Billing Act of 2026, introduced in the House by Ms. Foxx for herself and Mr. Scott of Virginia and referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce on May 7, 2026.
On 05.21.26, the House Education and Workforce Committee advanced the bipartisan Transparency in Billing Act of 2026 (H.R. 8684), stating that the bill would improve transparency and lower health care costs by requiring hospitals to include a unique national provider identifier on claims so payers can determine the care setting.
The Congressional Record Index entry confirms the presence of a Transparency in Billing Act item in the Congressional Record, supporting that the matter was formally taken up in congressional proceedings.
Assessments
Foxx clearly supported and materially advanced legislation matching the promise by sponsoring the Transparency in Billing Act in both the 118th and 119th Congresses. Her 2023 bill, H.R. 4509, was reported out of committee and placed on the Union Calendar, and her 2026 bill, H.R. 8684, was introduced and advanced by the House Education and Workforce Committee. However, the evidence does not show House passage, Senate passage, or enactment into law. Because she made concrete progress on the promised policy but did not yet deliver the promised outcome, the best judgment is partial rather than delivered. Timing is same_term because the legislative activity occurred while she remained in office.