audience, including individuals with limited English proficiency, can readily understand and use because that language is clear, concise, well-organized, accurately describes the information, and follows other best practices of plain language writing. The Secretary, jointly with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Labor, shall develop and issue standards for plain language writing for purposes of this section and shall develop a standardized reporting template and standardized definitions of terms to allow for comparison across group health plans and health insurance coverage. (c) Cost sharing transparency (1) In general A group health plan, and a health insurance issuer offering group health insurance coverage, shall, upon request of a participant or beneficiary and in a timely manner, provide to the participant or beneficiary a statement of the amount of cost-sharing (including deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance) under the participant’s or beneficiary’s plan or coverage that the participant or beneficiary would be responsible for paying with respect to the furnishing of a specific item or service by a provider. At a minimum, such information shall include the information specified in paragraph (2) and shall be made available at no cost to the participant or beneficiary through a self-service tool that meets the requirements of paragraph (3) or through a paper or phone disclosure, at the option of the participant or beneficiary, that meets such requirements as the Secretary may specify. (2) Specified information For purposes of paragraph (1), the information specified in this paragraph is, with respect to an item or service for which benefits are available under a group health plan or group health insurance coverage (as applicable) furnished by a health care provider to a participant or beneficiary of such plan or coverage, the following: (A) If such provider is a participating provider with respect to such item or service, the in-network rate (as defined in subsection (f)) for