The bill improves Medicare transparency and helps beneficiaries find and compare in‑network care, but it imposes implementation costs on the government and risks harm if the tool is incomplete or not maintained.
Medicare beneficiaries and prospective enrollees can more easily locate in-network providers, improving provider choice and access when selecting or using Medicare coverage.
Consumers can directly compare provider access between Medicare Advantage plans and Original Medicare within a single year, making enrollment decisions more informed and potentially reducing poor plan matches.
Greater transparency about plan networks can reduce surprise out‑of‑network costs by letting beneficiaries verify provider participation before receiving care.
If the tool is incomplete, inaccurate, or not kept up to date, Medicare beneficiaries could be misled about network participation, leading to care delays or unexpected out‑of‑pocket costs.
HHS will face implementation and ongoing maintenance costs for the tool, which could increase administrative spending funded by taxpayers or Medicare program funds.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires HHS to create and maintain a public website to search provider participation in Medicare Advantage networks and original Medicare Parts A and B, operational within one year.
Introduced November 18, 2025 by Mark Pocan · Last progress November 18, 2025
Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to run a publicly accessible website that lets current and prospective Medicare beneficiaries search for and identify providers and suppliers who participate in Medicare Advantage plan networks and who participate in original Medicare (Parts A and B). The website must be up and running within one year after the law is enacted and maintained by HHS for ongoing use. This creates a single federal online tool aimed at improving transparency about which doctors, clinics, and suppliers are in MA networks versus available under original Medicare, helping beneficiaries compare access when choosing coverage or when seeking care.