Foo Fighters are heading to Washington, D.C. for a one-night-only show on March 5 to advocate for healthcare price transparency. Fat Joe and Chuck D will also be in attendance. The private event is hosted by Power to the Patients, a nonprofit dedicated to creating “a more affordable, accessible, and equitable healthcare system through price transparency.”
The band joins Fat Joe, who has helped lead the charge by meeting with members of Congress to urge them to pass legislation that will codify and expand healthcare transparency requirements. The event will bring together lawmakers, government officials, and their staff to raise awareness about the inequality in the healthcare system, where true upfront costs are not fully disclosed by hospitals and insurers. More than 100 million Americans are suffering under the weight of medical debt from surprise bills, according to a press release.
“When we were asked by Power to the Patients to help raise awareness of the need for transparency in healthcare pricing, we immediately said yes,” Foo Fighters said in a statement. “People suffering from illness and injury shouldn’t have to worry about being bankrupted by surprise charges for their treatment.”
Last September, lawmakers in the House introduced a bipartisan bill — Lower Costs, More Transparency Act — that, if passed, would succeed in giving patients improved healthcare affordability. The bill would also include provisions from the PATIENT Act, which was introduced in May with the goal of having hospitals publicize their pricing, the Hill reported. In December, Health Care Prices Revealed and Information to Consumers Explained Transparency Act (S.3548) was introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers to expand healthcare price transparency requirements, and hold hospitals and insurers accountable, in turn aiding healthcare consumers.
Jelly Roll, Wyclef Jean, French Montana, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Lainey Wilson, Valerie June, Shepard Fairey, and Everclear are among the artists joining Foo Fighters, Fat Joe, and Chuck D in the movement, with some traveling to the Capitol to join in the fight for healthcare price transparency. Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, French Montana, Rick Ross, Chuck D, and Method Man recently teamed up with Power to the Patients for a public service announcement advocating “for stronger and more meaningful price transparency laws.”