WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday that calls for upfront disclosure by hospitals of actual prices for common tests and procedures to keep costs down .
The idea is to give patients practical information that they can use to help save money. For example, if a hospital charges your insurer $3,500 for a type of echocardiogram and the same test costs $550 in a doctor's office, you might go for the lower-price procedure to save on copays.
But insurers said the idea could backfire, prompting hospitals that now give deeper discounts to try to raise their own negotiated prices to match what high-earners are getting.
Trump's order also requires that patients be told ahead of time what their out-of-pocket costs like deductibles and copays will be for many procedures.
Little will change right away. The executive order calls for a rule-making process by federal agencies, which typically takes months or even years. The details of what information will have to be disclosed and how it will be made available to patients must be worked out as part of writing the regulations. That will involve a complex give-and-take with hospitals, insurers and others affected.
Consumers will have to wait to see whether the results live up to the administration's promises.
"For too long it's been virtually impossible for Americans to know the real price and quality of health care services and the services they receive," Trump said at the White House. "As a result, patients face significant obstacles shopping for the best care at the best price, driving up health care costs for everyone. With today's historic action, we are fundamentally changing the nature of the health care marketplace."
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told reporters earlier...
