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.
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.
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.