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.

Trump-backed affordable housing overhaul clears Senate, while House GOP raises red flags

Clyburn, 85, bucks Democrat generational revolt with bid for 18th term in Congress

New Bill to Ban Abortion Pill Hits Senate

House Democrats ask ICE for contracts on 2,500 marked vehicles overbought under Noem

Missing retired Air Force general consulted on UFOs for Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge

Piers Morgan Asks Former MSNBC Host Mehdi Hasan 7 Times if He’s Glad Khamenei’s Reign Is Over, Gets No Answer

US destroys aging Iranian warplanes, video shows

Powell’s behind-the-scenes move after Trump’s DOJ opened its criminal probe

Texas death row inmate uses final statement before execution to speak directly to victims’ family

CNN’s Ana Navarro Busted for Falsely Claiming NYC Bomber Was Targeting Mamdani Just Hours Before Abby Phillips Apologized for Making the Same Mistake

Op-Ed: Trump and Clinton’s Similarities are Glaring, Why Do Dems See Them So Differently?

GOP billionaire trying to woo Trump’s support in key Georgia race bankrolled his 2024 presidential rivals

Nancy Pelosi endorses former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn in second congressional bid

Watch: Hilarious Video of Bill Clinton Pushing Hillary Clinton Into Busy Intersection

At least 15 senior CBP employees were pushed out under Noem: Sources

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.