Lower Premiums, Faster Payments Act

On October 9, 2026, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) introduced HR10788, the Lower Premiums, Faster Payments Act. The bill was referred to three committees: Energy and Commerce, Education and Workforce, and Ways and Means. It is in early stage with no cosponsors. The bill does not authorize any direct spending. It amends the Public Health Service Act, Internal Revenue Code, and ERISA to change the payment rules for out-of-network services under private health insurance. The key change eliminates the independent dispute resolution (IDR) process for services on or after January 1, 2028, and instead requires plans to pay the qualifying payment amount (QPA) — essentially the median in-network rate — for out-of-network services. This reduces the administrative burden of IDR and caps out-of-network payments, lowering medical costs for insurers but reducing revenue for providers. No related signals or procurement data were provided for convergence analysis. The bill stands alone as a targeted adjustment to surprise billing rules. Health insurers are the primary beneficiaries. UnitedHealth Group, Elevance Health ($ELV), and Cigna ($CI) will see reduced administrative costs from eliminating IDR and lower out-of-network claim payments, improving medical cost ratios. Hospital operators with significant out-of-network exposure, such as HCA Healthcare ($HCA) and Tenet Healthcare ($THC), face revenue compression as out-of-network rates are capped at median in-network levels. The bill does not affect government programs like Medicare or Medicaid. The bill is in early committee stage. It must pass through three committees before a floor vote. Given the 2028 effective date, there is a long legislative runway. The sponsor's seniority (ranking member on Energy and Commerce) provides some momentum, but Republican control of the House and the bill's Democratic sponsorship make passage uncertain. Retail investors should watch for committee markups and potential companion legislation in the Senate.