House Oversight Hearing Weighs Tech Fixes for Soaring Health Costs

Overview

• At a Dec. 10 joint hearing, Subcommittee Chairs Eric Burlison and Glenn Grothman opened an inquiry into how technology could lower healthcare expenses and reshape affordability.
• Grothman cited 2023 U.S. health spending of $4.9 trillion—nearly 18% of GDP—and asserted that roughly one-third was waste, with administrative expenses driving more than half of that estimate.
• Burlison argued that the Inflation Reduction Act and Biden-era regulations worsened affordability and pointed to President Trump’s "One Big, Beautiful Bill," which he said directs over $50 billion to rural hospitals.
• Witnesses highlighted data-access hurdles that impede AI research, with one researcher saying U.S. restrictions forced work to Sweden and describing an algorithm that more accurately predicts sudden cardiac death and could curb unnecessary defibrillator implants.
• Testimony pointed to incentive misalignment that discourages prevention, criticized ACA-era premium trends, and urged price transparency plus real-time pharmacy tools, while lawmakers signaled interest in streamlining data access, supporting preventive innovation, and tightening fraud detection.