Trump Signs Executive Order to Strengthen Healthcare Price Transparency
The order directs federal agencies to enforce regulations requiring hospitals and insurers to disclose actual prices to empower patients and lower healthcare costs.
- President Donald Trump signed an executive order reinforcing his 2019 healthcare price transparency regulations, citing inadequate enforcement under the Biden administration.
- The order mandates the Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services to implement stricter compliance measures within 90 days, ensuring hospitals and insurers disclose actual prices rather than estimates.
- Trump’s initiative aims to help patients compare costs and quality of services, enabling them to make informed decisions and potentially save $80 billion by 2025, according to a White House analysis.
- Hospital groups and insurers have opposed the transparency rules, arguing they reveal private negotiations and undermine competition, but courts have upheld the regulations.
- The White House emphasized that hidden healthcare prices benefit corporate entities at patients' expense and asserted that transparency will lower costs and improve access to care.