following: (c) Any health benefits plan offered under this chapter shall be treated as a group health plan or group or individual health insurance coverage for purposes of subsections (e) through (g) of section 2719A of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300gg–19a ) (except for paragraph (3) of such subsection (g)). . 103. Benchmark for payment (a) In general Subpart II of part A of title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300gg–11 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 2729A. Benchmark for payment (a) Establishment of benchmark A group health plan or health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage shall pay facilities or practitioners furnishing services for which such facilities and practitioners are prohibited from billing enrollees under section 2719A(g), the median in-network rate, using a methodology determined under subsection (b) for the same or similar services offered by the group health plan or health insurance issuer in that geographic region. (b) Median in-Network rate (1) In general For purposes of this section, the term median in-network rate means, with respect to health care services covered by a group health plan or group or individual health insurance coverage, the median negotiated rate under the applicable plan or coverage recognized under the plan or coverage as the total maximum payment for the service minus the in-network cost-sharing for such service under the plan or coverage, for the same or a similar service that is provided by a provider in the same or similar specialty and in the geographic region in which the service is furnished. (2) Rulemaking Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Lower Health Care Costs Act , the Secretary shall, through rulemaking, determine the methodology a group health plan or health insurance issuer is required to use to determine the median in-network rate described in paragraph (1), differentiating by business line, the information the plan or issuer shall share with