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.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy Hospitalized After Suffering Stroke

Martha Stewart Makes Homeless Costume 10x Worse With One of the Most Disastrous Apologies We’ve Ever Heard

Haley Stevens’ endorsement stunt backfires with El-Sayed setting single-day fundraising record

Watch: Giant Man Picks Up Kicking, Screaming Woman and Simply Carries Her Away in Daylight Kidnapping Attempt

Steve Hilton rallies at ‘symbol of 16 years of Democrat failure’ in closing days of California race

Watch: El-Sayed’s Last Minute ’60 Minutes’ Mess – Just Can’t Say Israel Has Right to Exist Full Stop

Staff exodus ensues after Dem Haley Stevens flips on own party and endorses GOP rival and more top headlines

George Floyd-era police watchdog chair charged with selling name to inmate who vowed to ‘blow down’ witness

The GOP reveals a fresh $100B talking point as the battle for Congress looms

How to watch critical 2026 midterm election races in TX, OH, MI, WI, GA, IA, NV, ME and FL

Mamdani says Trump agrees to grant visa so mother can attend funeral of teen killed in Bronx shooting

Collins accuses Schumer of pushing attack ads filled with ‘outright lies’ in tight Maine race

Missing Utah teen Kylie Arellano found safe in Oregon after 500-day search

Michigan Democrats in disarray after Haley Stevens endorses Mike Rogers and gets kicked out of party

Chicago Assailants Picked the Victim, Quickly Discovered He Had a Concealed Carry Permit

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.