S. 3059: REAL Health Providers Act

This bill requires Medicare Advantage (MA) organizations to maintain directories of in-network providers and continually ensure their accuracy.

Specifically, MA organizations must publish on their websites an accurate directory of in-network providers and regularly update these directories. The bill additionally specifies that if a provider is listed as in-network in this directory when a beneficiary selects and makes an appointment with the provider, but the provider is not actually in-network, the beneficiary is still only responsible for paying in-network cost-sharing requirements.

MA organizations must annually evaluate and report on the accuracy of their directories; the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and MA organizations must publish this information on their websites. The bill provides funds for these purposes.

Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.