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.

India’s education minister resigns after student protests over medical exam leaks

EXCLUSIVE: Alleged $32M COVID-19 fraud fugitive captured in Jamaica and returned to US, FBI says

Court checks Pritzker as Trump administration scores another immigration win

NYC 5-alarm fire injures at least 17 firefighters, others as blaze damages multiple apartment buildings

Katy Perry ‘appalled’ to see her song used on White House TikTok account

Biden judge blocking Ethiopian deportations despite SCOTUS ruling clashed with ICE before

Fewer Gay Professionals Feel Being Gay Helps Their Career

Trump defends New York Times subpoenas as judge seeks internal DOJ communications

State Officials Blamed Citizens for Death of Bear Stuck Atop Power Pole, but What Bystander Says She Saw Changes Everything

Maine Democrats crown Troy Jackson as Platner replacement as fresh scrutiny clouds Senate reset

Pentagon Official Calls Ex-White House AI Architect ‘Village Idiot’ in China Policy Spat

ICE Deports Ex-NFL Linebacker and Rugby Star: Report

Brian Hooker’s stepmom wants to help investigators as she suspects he ‘lied about everything’: reports

Letitia James faces scrutiny after New York City spends $81,700 per homeless person amid shelter scandals

Hawaii’s Democratic lieutenant governor indicted in state corruption investigation

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.