Trump Forces Hospitals And Insurers To Reveal Real Costs With New Order
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday mandating that hospitals and insurance companies disclose the actual costs of medical care, delivering on a long-standing promise to bring transparency to the healthcare system. This move follows a similar 2019 order that faced industry pushback and limited enforcement under the Biden administration.
The new order directs the Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services to establish enforcement measures within 90 days, ensuring compliance from hospitals and insurers. The goal is to eliminate the confusion surrounding healthcare pricing by requiring providers to present real costs upfront, rather than leaving patients to navigate a complex system of hidden fees and negotiated rates. Transparency advocates argue that shielding prices benefits industry giants while keeping patients in the dark about the true cost of care.
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Public support for transparency in healthcare pricing has remained strong. A poll conducted last year showed that 92% of Americans support requiring hospitals and insurers to reveal actual costs before treatment. Another survey found that 94% of adults believe healthcare providers should legally disclose all pricing, including discounted and cash rates, in a way that allows for easy online comparison.
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Opponents of the policy, including major hospital organizations, have argued that publicizing negotiated rates could hurt competition. They previously challenged Trump’s 2019 order in court, claiming it violated their First Amendment rights. However, transparency advocates argue that shielding prices benefits industry giants while keeping patients in the dark about the true cost of care.
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Economic analyses indicate that full implementation of price transparency rules could generate massive savings. By making prices publicly available, employers could reduce healthcare spending by an average of 27% on hundreds of common services. Trump’s administration believes that transparency will drive competition and force providers to lower costs.
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Trump has framed the order as a necessary correction to a system that has long favored corporate interests over consumers. “Our goal was to give patients the knowledge they need about the real price of healthcare services,” he said at the signing. “They’ll be able to compare prices and quality, so they can shop for the highest-quality care at the lowest cost.”