Here’s what Rep. Goldman’s bipartisan bill for health insurance transparency does

A bill backed by U.S. representatives from Texas would require more transparency from health insurance companies if it continues advancing through Congress.

The Prior Authorization Accountability Act, which has bipartisan support and is led by Reps. Craig Goldman, R-TX-12; August Pfluger, R-TX-11; Rob Wittman, R-VA-01; Jimmy Panetta, D-CA-19; Donald Norcross, D-NJ-01; and Kim Schrier, D-WA-08, passed in the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday.

The bill implements part of President Trump’s “Great Healthcare Plan,” which seeks to hold large health insurance companies accountable and make sure they are transparent about claim denial rates, legislators say.

The Prior Authorization Accountability Act would: require all health insurance companies to display claim denial rates; allow Americans to see the amount of claims an insurer rejects before they sign up for a plan; show percentage of appealed denied claims, and how many are overturned and how long that process takes; mandate this information is posted clearly on their websites and listed in its plan materials.

“For too long, Americans have suffered from surprise medical bills and unexpected denials of health insurance claims. I’m working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to increase transparency into the health insurance process so that patients can receive better care,” Congressman Goldman said in a statement.

Goldman’s office said in a news release that this bill comes from the “million of Americans” who sign up for health insurance plans with limited information on how the companies actually conduct business. The lack of transparency results in many patients receiving unexpected bills, delays in getting care, and lengthy appeal processes.

“This bill would hold providers accountable while giving potential customers more data to make informed decisions,” the release states.

Norcross, a congressman who also backed the bill, said that insurance is only helpful when people can actually use it when they have health issues.

“Nobody should get rejected for the care they need, especially if they already paid a ridiculous amount of money for a plan that’s supposed to cover those services in the first place,” he said.

©2026 Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Visit star-telegram.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.