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.

The Sting: How a DEA Supervisor Was Caught Getting Non-Americans Into the Country as Fake Law Enforcement Assets, According to Court Docs

Nancy Guthrie disappearance fuels rise of ‘mom detectives’ swapping tips and losing sleep

Colombian nationals allegedly ran fake law firm, impersonated federal judges to defraud migrants out of $100K

Mamdani promotes NYC where ‘every family can afford a home,’ rips ICE’s ‘cruelty’ amid budget blowback

Trump reveals his ‘new hero’ Supreme Court justice after tariffs ruling

Trump raises global tariff to 15%

Trump torches ‘stupid’ AOC’s Munich showing, tees up fresh fight with progressive Democrats

Labor Dept deploys ‘strike team’ to California over $21B unemployment debt, fraud concerns

Mamdani Changes Mind on Homeless Policy After Multiple People Die

Trump approves DC emergency declaration over Potomac sewage spill, FEMA mobilizes

Pope Leo Lets Trump Know Whether He Will Join ‘Board of Peace’

CBS News Covers Fire at Renee Good Memorial After Ignoring Left’s Defacing of Charlie Kirk Tributes

Too Little, Too Late? NBA Aims to Address One of the Biggest Problems in the League

Family of Ohio teacher ‘clinging to faith’ after ex-‘American Idol’ contestant husband charged with her murder

England: University of Miami Hospital a Cautionary Tale of Healthcare Waste and Abuse

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.