While the IRS hasn’t officially confirmed that the program is dead, the website indicates that the program is closed—and states have been notified that it will not be in place for 2026.
The executive order directs the HHS and the Treasury and Labor departments to ensure hospitals and insurers disclose “actual prices of items and services, not estimates” and take action to ensure “pricing information is standardized and easily comparable across hospitals and health plans” including prescription drug prices.
Unironically yes, and it’s sad that that’s the case. However, he did issue a similar EO in 2019 which didn’t do much; the administration claims that it lowered costs on the most expensive procedures by 6%, but whether that’s true or not the cheapest procedures became about 3% more expensive. Something like 20% of hospitals and insurers were ever in compliance, which Trump of course blames the Biden administration for; and attempts to make the EO a law went nowhere on the Hill.
But yes, healthcare price transparency is a good thing. Still, I’m a bit suspicious; because the insurance companies actually welcomed the EO when it was first signed. I can’t figure that one out.
Hospitals would often have two prices - the insurance price, and the cash price. If you told them that you didn’t have insurance, the price could go down drastically from the estimate. Now they’re required to charge the insurance company and the uninsured the same amount.
I believe that’s always been the case, officially. It certainly was about fifteen years ago, when I worked in pharmacy. I know there are some ways that hospitals had of getting around it (like charging the full amount and putting it on a payment plan, but then immediately forgiving the remaining balance after one payment), but I don’t think those loopholes have been closed even still.
This seems alright, no?
Unironically yes, and it’s sad that that’s the case. However, he did issue a similar EO in 2019 which didn’t do much; the administration claims that it lowered costs on the most expensive procedures by 6%, but whether that’s true or not the cheapest procedures became about 3% more expensive. Something like 20% of hospitals and insurers were ever in compliance, which Trump of course blames the Biden administration for; and attempts to make the EO a law went nowhere on the Hill.
But yes, healthcare price transparency is a good thing. Still, I’m a bit suspicious; because the insurance companies actually welcomed the EO when it was first signed. I can’t figure that one out.
Hospitals would often have two prices - the insurance price, and the cash price. If you told them that you didn’t have insurance, the price could go down drastically from the estimate. Now they’re required to charge the insurance company and the uninsured the same amount.
I believe that’s always been the case, officially. It certainly was about fifteen years ago, when I worked in pharmacy. I know there are some ways that hospitals had of getting around it (like charging the full amount and putting it on a payment plan, but then immediately forgiving the remaining balance after one payment), but I don’t think those loopholes have been closed even still.