WASHINGTON, June 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — On Wednesday, June 14, Power to the Patients will host a pre-game party before the Congressional Baseball Game at The Bullpen in Washington, D.C., from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM EST with a special performance by the band Everclear.
Art Alexakis, Everclear singer-songwriter and guitarist, was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 2016, a diagnosis he says blindsided him. In an interview with The Hill about his upcoming performance, Art said:
“I went through [the bill] when I got home after [my wife] basically had an anxiety attack. They were charging me $19,000 for a titanium screw from my back. And $200 for an Advil. There’s got to be more transparency.
“Luckily for me because of the success Everclear has had, I have pretty good insurance through SAG-AFTRA, through my union. But one of the things I noticed is that we don’t get to see what we’re paying for when anybody — whether you have insurance or not — goes into the hospital. And I always found that pretty bizarre because it’s like, would you go into a store, like a department store, to buy something if there was no prices?
“I understand about patient’s rights — that’s something that’s very important to me.”
Background
Power to the Patients’ Congressional Baseball Game Pre-Party Concert is a part of the organization’s ongoing grassroots movement to create a more equitable healthcare system through enforcement of healthcare price transparency rules. In April, rapper and Power to the Patients ambassador Fat Joe met with key legislators and officials to raise awareness about the need for hospital transparency. He also hosted a concert in DC to kick off White House Correspondents Weekend with friends and artists Busta Rhymes, French Montana, and Rick Ross.
Support for advancing hospital price transparency legislation continues to grow. Just last month, the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee unanimously voted to advance the PATIENT Act (H.R. 3561), a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Energy & Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-5) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ-6). This bill will lower costs and improve quality of care through increased price transparency.
SOURCE Power to the Patients
