Oversight of Medicare Billing Code Cost Act

This bill aims to make Medicare billing clearer and easier to track. It orders a watchdog office in Health and Human Services to study how Medicare adds, changes, or removes billing codes and to report back with ideas to improve oversight and transparency within a year of the law taking effect. It also requires Medicare to post, every year by June 1, a public list of any new billing codes added in the previous year, along with how often they were used and how much they cost Medicare. A summary from the Library of Congress confirms these points and notes the report should include recommendations for administrative and legislative changes.

Key points:

• Who is affected: Medicare patients, doctors, clinics, hospitals, and taxpayers who want to see how Medicare dollars are used.
• What changes: A one-time federal study and report on how billing codes are managed, plus yearly public reports listing new codes with their usage and costs.
• When: The study report is due within 12 months after the law starts; the yearly public lists are due by June 1 each year, starting in 2025.

In everyday terms, this means more sunlight on what Medicare pays for and how often, helping spot waste, track trends in medical services, and guide smarter spending over time.