Posted on 02/25/2025 2:58:21 PM PST by DFG
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aiming to make healthcare costs more transparent for patients.
The ruling directs regulators to force healthcare providers and insurers to publicly disclose their prices, the idea being to make it easier for consumers to shop around for better deals.
The move marks a more aggressive approach to boost compliance with regulations Trump introduced in 2019, which providers have only half-heartedly been following.
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Trump has long advocated for insurers to tell consumers up front the actual prices for common tests and procedures, believing it will drive down costs.
Healthcare prices have traditionally been veiled in secrecy, determined through private negotiations among doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and insurers.
Those involved have fiercely guarded these figures, arguing confidentiality is essential to the bargaining process.
Andrew Bremberg, former assistant to Trump and director of the Domestic Policy Council at the Trump White House, said in a statement: 'This price transparency executive order is a major statement from President Trump. Healthcare price transparency will help millions of Americans and will be a cornerstone in President Trump's healthcare legacy.'
However, insurance industry groups have argued regulations would have the opposite effect on costs and actually raise premiums.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
A friend of mine actually checked the bill for his daughter...$50.00 for an aspirin. This was years ago...my mom was 90 and dying...and they were still running tests...expensive tests...
Most if the “pricing” is for the insurance and Medicare/ Medicaid haggle. Pad the bill and negotiate.
I’ve got a better idea. ELIMINATE unconstitutional federal gov’t healthcare entirely.
The best healthcare in the world is the voluntary cooperation directly between the doctor and the patient.
Trump can’t dismantle the vast medicaid/medicare, 3rd party payer system, built by progressives over 70 years. the vast majority of Americans are stuck in that system
But how about allowing experimentation with things like “health-care free trade zones” - where patients and doctors decide ALL costs and aspects of their treatment like in any other business, government payment is not accepted, taxes are low, and even tort/liability laws are limited upon mutual agreement.
Let’s see what real free-market health care looks like, not just for rich people in private clinics.
Medical providers should have to provide their Medicare prices to all consumers.
BandAid: | $25.00 |
Expertise to put BandAid on wound: | $250.00 |
Room charge during treatment: | $500.00 |
80% of what a typical person spends on health care in their entire lives is spent in the last 2 years of their lives, and for most folks that’s when you are on Medicare
I’ve said it a million time, market forces won’t fix health care costs, it’s not a market driven industry.
Sells the ideologues but will do nothing, US is for all effective purposes a single payer system that pretends it isn’t
Yep
Excellent post—folks have been in denial for a long time on this issue.
Until we understand the real issue it is impossible to generate wise approaches to deal with it.
My friend twisted his ankle playing volleyball, was told x-ray + braces on his ankle covered by insurance would cost $150 deductible against a full price of over $1000.
He asked them if he had no insurance, and pay out of pocket, how much would it be. THey looked it up and told him $120.
So he would have paid more if he had “insurance.”
Basically the insurance companies list an absurd high price to fool you into thinking you have a good deal, wow my insurance covered $850 out of the $1000 cost. When in reality the true cost is $120, they are pocketing the extra cost along with the premiums you pay.
My manager was telling me today that about 10 years ago, he had four different doctors run the same gall bladder test on him four times but his issues weren’t caught until the fourth and this was in a week’s span. Told him if he had been paying for it out of his own pocket, he would have demanded a refund.
They are supposed to to this according to Obamacare.
However many of the pricing schedules are incomplete, sometimes omitting many procedures.
Trump isn’t making any sort of law here.
It sounds like he’s just enforcing the law that is already there but isn’t being followed.
Finally!!!!
Health care in the US is worse than a used car at a dealership.
You are signing a blank check when you go to an ER or many doctor offices.
8 months later you’ll still get bills you don’t even know what they are for.
I have serveral former clients that are dentists.. They say they have to have high cash and private insurance to cover the underpayment from government plans.
or they can simply refuse government insurance
This is great if he can force them to do it. This is not first time that someone has tried.
dirty little secret..
They would be bankrupt in a week.
This makes no sense unless there is competition available in insurances across state lines
Excellent - almost every other business can tell you what things cost. Some even have big sign with the list of goods and services and what they cost right there at the counter
How about creating economic and regulatory incentives for independent docs to become a thing again.
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