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.

Suspect in off-duty Philadelphia officer’s car theft linked to killing of Penn State student: police

DOJ won’t rule out new charges for Reflecting Pool vandals as Trump calls to revisit dropped cases

Man wanted in robbery tied to Penn State student’s murder now sought after off-duty cop shootout

Democrats give Senate GOP new midterm ammo in opposing federal voter ID

Syria’s death sentence for Assad puts new strain on revamped relationship with Russia

Watch: Another Talarico Clip Comes Back to Bite Him as He Characterizes Christians as ‘Causing Trouble’

Socialist Wisconsin governor candidate referred to America as ‘abundance of suffering,’ resurfaced post shows

HHS bureaucrats accused of ‘sabotaging’ RFK Jr’s efforts to expose Fauci records

Russia Releases American Military Veteran Who Was Taken Prisoner During Biden Administration

Replacement GOP nominee named after Rep Chuck Edwards drops re-election bid

US Marine veteran released from Russian prison after 1,666 days of detention

Michigan rescuers find family stranded for 3 days after tubing trip in dramatic video

Watch: Longtime Clinton Advisor Blasts Today’s Dems as Group of Lunatics, Who Are ‘Basically Illiterate and Uninformed’ from Watching MSNOW

NYC Homeowners Score Temporary Court Victory Over Mamdani’s New Tax

Alex Murdaugh lawyers allege ‘fabricated’ evidence was used to secure murder indictments

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.