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.
Israel to Sue NYT Over Sickening Report Accusing IDF of Canine Rape: ‘Hideous and Distorted’
173 House Democrats vote against resolution honoring police amid rising attacks
Final Walz fraud report rips ‘culture of tolerance’ as Minnesota taxpayers face billions in alleged losses
Iran Seizes Ship Loaded with Weapons, Steers It Toward Territorial Waters: Report
Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Buster Murdaugh seen for first time since dad’s murder conviction overturned
Video shows undercover cops shooting man threatening shoppers with fake gun in ‘justified’ defense: officials
Intense Footage: Police Officer with No Protective Gear Sprints Into Burning House and Saves Entire Family
Court Overturns Former Attorney Alex Murdaugh’s Double Murder Convictions
Dem Senate hopeful’s ‘physician’ campaign pitch under fire after license records reveal key gaps
Massie’s ex-girlfriend alleges he arranged her Capitol Hill job, then offered $5,000 to drop termination suit
Veterans group backing Iowa Democrat’s Senate bid is bankrolled by Schumer-aligned PAC
Trump struggles to shake ballroom backlash: ‘We don’t have the money’
Democrats’ midterm push clouded by infighting over party keeping 2024 autopsy under wraps
New 9/11 Museum exhibit aims to connect younger Americans to the attacks through powerful artifacts
Finland has ‘exactly the same position’ as Trump on NATO failures but pleads not to let Russia, China divide the West
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.
Israel to Sue NYT Over Sickening Report Accusing IDF of Canine Rape: ‘Hideous and Distorted’
173 House Democrats vote against resolution honoring police amid rising attacks
Final Walz fraud report rips ‘culture of tolerance’ as Minnesota taxpayers face billions in alleged losses
Iran Seizes Ship Loaded with Weapons, Steers It Toward Territorial Waters: Report
Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Buster Murdaugh seen for first time since dad’s murder conviction overturned
Video shows undercover cops shooting man threatening shoppers with fake gun in ‘justified’ defense: officials
Intense Footage: Police Officer with No Protective Gear Sprints Into Burning House and Saves Entire Family
Court Overturns Former Attorney Alex Murdaugh’s Double Murder Convictions
Dem Senate hopeful’s ‘physician’ campaign pitch under fire after license records reveal key gaps
Massie’s ex-girlfriend alleges he arranged her Capitol Hill job, then offered $5,000 to drop termination suit
Veterans group backing Iowa Democrat’s Senate bid is bankrolled by Schumer-aligned PAC
Trump struggles to shake ballroom backlash: ‘We don’t have the money’
Democrats’ midterm push clouded by infighting over party keeping 2024 autopsy under wraps
New 9/11 Museum exhibit aims to connect younger Americans to the attacks through powerful artifacts
Finland has ‘exactly the same position’ as Trump on NATO failures but pleads not to let Russia, China divide the West
The president used his remarks to also take shots at former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act as well as 2020 presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders and his “Medicare for all” plan. Sanders’ plan would replace job-based and individual private health insurance with a government-run plan that guarantees coverage for all with no premiums, deductibles and minimal copays for certain services.
“Democrats in Congress support Bernie Sanders’ socialist takedown of American health care,” Trump said. “Under my administration, we will not let that happen.”
Story cited here.
