Published 4/25/2026
The House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on Mar. 18, titled “Lowering Health Care Costs for All Americans: An Examination of the U.S. Provider Landscape.”The hearing examined the role providers and hospitals play in the affordability of the U.S. healthcare system. This marked the third in a series of hearings between the House Ways & Means and Energy & Commerce committees; the committees previously held hearings examining the role of insurers and the pharmaceutical industry.
The Mar. 18 hearing focused on how increasing consolidation among providers has reduced patient choice (particularly in rural areas) and contributed to higher costs and limited access. It also examined policies in the Affordable Care Act, especially restrictions on the growth of physician-owned hospitals, suggesting they have worsened competition. Witnesses called on Congress to reform physician payment, prevent scheduled cuts, and adjust payments for inflation. They also discussed the need to reduce administrative burdens, particularly prior authorization requirements that delay care and increase costs.
The physician workforce was also the topic of a hearing on Feb. 11, when the Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing titled “The Doctor is Out: How Washington’s Rules Drove Physicians Out of Medicine.” The hearing focused on the impact of administrative burdens, such as prior authorization and the increasing regulatory complexity of Medicare Advantage on provider burnout. Witnesses discussed how the volume and complexity of mandates related to meeting the requirements of federal and commercial payers has contributed to less time devoted to bedside care and more time spent on electronic health records.
Other topics of discussion were the need for additional Medicare-funded graduate medical education slots, incentives to increase the workforce (particularly in rural areas), and the necessity of reforming the Medicare payment system to protect the viability of independent physician practices.