Trump Signs Executive Order Calling For Upfront Disclosure Of Hospital Costs

President Trump on Monday signed an executive order demanding the upfront disclosure by hospitals of the actual prices for common tests and procedures.

Trump’s order also requires that patients be told ahead of time what their out-of-pocket costs like deductibles and copays will be for many procedures.

“This landmark initiative continues our work to put American patients first,” Trump said during remarks at the White House before signing the order. “We are fundamentally changing the nature of the health care marketplace.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told reporters before Trump’s remarks that the idea is to give patients practical information that they can use to help save money. For example, if a hospital charges your insurer $3,500 for a type of echocardiogram and the same test costs $550 in a doctor’s office, you might go for the lower-price procedure to save on copays.

The executive order calls for a rule-making process by federal agencies, which typically takes months or even years. The details of what information will have to be disclosed and how it will be made available to patients must be worked out as part of writing the regulations. That will involve a complex give-and-take with hospitals, insurers and others affected. Consumers will have to wait to see whether the results live up to the administration’s promises.

Parents Sue District After School Forced Daughter to Share Bed with ‘Trans’ Male Student on Trip

Erika Kirk Signals Turning Point USA Is Prepared to Fully Support Vance in 2028

Congress investigates betting scandals rocking NBA and Major League Baseball following federal charges

Bodycam shows Charlotte train murder suspect’s interaction with police months before Iryna Zarutska stabbing

Louisiana death row inmate freed after nearly 30 years as overturned conviction upends case

Alleged National Guard shooter worked with US government entities in Afghanistan, including CIA: Ratcliffe

Alleged DC shooter entered US under Afghan resettlement push Mayorkas vowed would be done ‘swiftly and safely’

Trump pins DC National Guard shooting on Biden’s post-Afghanistan immigration policy

Afghan National Guard Shooter Entered US Under Biden Immigration Program in 2021 During Afghan Withdrawal: Report

LAX travelers abandon cars, walk to airport as protesters block building during Thanksgiving rush

Suspected gunman in DC National Guard shooting identified as Afghan national

Breaking: National Guard Shooter Is Afghan National, Potential Terrorist – FBI

FAA investigating Amazon after drone cuts internet cable

Update: National Guard Troops Shot in DC Were Ambushed, Shot at Point-Blank Range

‘We Will Never Back Down’: Trump, Hegseth Refuse to Yield After National Guardsmen Shot, Sending 500 More Troops to DC

Lack of information on health care prices is a widespread problem . It’s confusing for patients, and experts say it’s also one of the major factors that push up U.S. costs. The same test or procedure, in the same city, can cost widely different amounts depending on who is performing it and who is paying the bill. Hospital list prices, which are available, don’t reflect what they actually get paid by insurers and government programs.

The health insurance industry said disclosing negotiated prices will only encourage hospitals that are now providing deeper discounts to try to raise their rates to match the top-tier facilities. “Publicly disclosing competitively negotiated proprietary rates will reduce competition and push prices higher — not lower — for consumers, patients, and taxpayers,” Matt Eyles, head of the industry group America’s Health Insurance Plans, said in a statement.

While the prices Medicare pays are publicly available, private insurers’ negotiated rates generally are not. Industry officials say such contractual information is tantamount to trade secrets and should remain private.

Azar pushed back against that argument, saying insurers do ultimately disclose their payment rates when they send individual patients an “explanation of benefits.” That’s the technical term for the form that patients get after they’ve had a procedure or seen the doctor.