Private equity-owned health-care companies seeking Medicare reimbursements would be subject to greater transparency under a bill passed by the U.S. House on Friday.
The rule, included in a $1.3 trillion appropriations bill for several departments, requires companies seeking short-term loans from Medicare to disclose whether they are owned by private equity firms. Findings would be published in a quarterly report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services.
The bill, which passed by a vote of 217-197, also recommends that the secretary of HHS forbid private equity-owned hospitals and health systems from furloughing employees or cutting benefits.
“In my...