EXCLUSIVE — House Republicans will bring in the nation’s largest hospitals and healthcare providers next week for their latest investigation into rising medical costs, as the party searches for a winning message on affordability ahead of the 2026 elections.
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing on March 18, featuring testimonies from the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the Purchaser Business Group on Health, the Washington Examiner has learned.
The hearing is the third in a series examining different parts of the healthcare system. Lawmakers previously questioned insurance companies in January and pharmaceutical companies in February.
“Hospitals, physicians, and health care practitioners play a vital role in delivering health care services to patients,” committee chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “This hearing will explore how payment policies, competition, transparency, and other incentives shape patient access and the cost of care. We look forward to hearing from the panelists on potential solutions as the Committee continues working to make health care more affordable for the American people.”
As of 2024, nearly 75% of physicians are employed by hospitals or corporate groups, with fewer operating under private practices. Hospital conglomerates are also growing and dominating the market. Critics argue that growing healthcare conglomerates have gained the leverage to raise prices without improving care.
Health Subcommittee Chairman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) said the panel aims to examine those trends as lawmakers search for ways to lower costs.
“From consolidation in the insurance marketplace to predatory practices in the pharmaceutical drug supply chain, the Health Subcommittee continues to examine all angles in our push to lower health care costs for American patients,” Griffith added.
The hearing comes as the House Republican conference returns to Capitol Hill after a policy retreat in Doral, Florida. Affordability and healthcare were among the issues discussed at the confab, as polls show voters are increasingly concerned about both.
Republicans are playing defense on healthcare, at least, because of new Medicaid work requirements implemented through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Democrats have portrayed the reforms as cuts to the system that will impact the poor.
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated nearly 12 million people could lose Medicaid coverage, which Democrats have honed in on in their messaging.
Matters were made worse for the GOP when COVID-19-era Affordable Care Act subsidies expired at the end of last year. This caused premiums to skyrocket, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported that open enrollment in the ACA marketplace dropped by around 1.2 million.
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The House voted in a bipartisan manner in January to extend the subsidies for another three years. Yet, the bill has not moved in the Senate.
“Make no mistake: Congressional Republicans and President Trump are to blame for the health care affordability crisis Americans are experiencing today, and it’s only going to get worse,” said Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), the ranking member of the Energy and Commerce panel. “That’s because Republicans are intentionally sabotaging our nation’s health care system, driving up costs, taking away coverage, and undermining access to care at every turn.”