President Donald Trump has moved to overhaul the healthcare pricing system with a sweeping executive order requiring hospitals and insurance companies to disclose real costs upfront. The directive, signed Tuesday, demands strict enforcement of pricing regulations within 90 days to prevent consumers from being blindsided by hidden medical fees.
The order strengthens a 2019 policy that sought to force transparency but faced roadblocks from the healthcare industry. Now, the Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services will ensure that providers comply with requirements to publish their pricing information, including negotiated rates, cash prices and insurer discounts.
"Before you complain about Trump cutting Medicare, libs, think long and hard about how much is going into the millionaires and billionaires that you say you hate so much."@CarlHigbie explains why healthcare price transparency is needed. pic.twitter.com/wpVWiHDOEV
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) February 25, 2025
Polls have shown that price transparency is a major concern for Americans. A recent survey found that 94% of respondents support requiring hospitals to disclose their costs, while 95% believe transparency should be a top government priority. Many Americans have struggled with surprise billing and inflated costs due to a lack of clear pricing.
Thank you, President Trump, for delivering on your promise to empower patients and lower costs through healthcare price transparency! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/a4cQQjsbdl
— PatientRightsAdvocate.org (@PtRightsAdvoc) February 26, 2025
Trump criticized the healthcare industry’s efforts to block transparency measures. “It’s been unpopular in some circles because people make less money, but it’s great for the patient,” he said while signing the order. He argued that greater transparency would allow patients to compare providers and find high-quality care at better prices.
PRESIDENT TRUMP SIGNS EO TO MAKE HEALTHCARE PRICES TRANSPARENT @rickdelgadorad reports. “There’s always an issue with prices. Hopefully, this will be one of the solutions as RFK, Jr. begins to take hold of HHS.@slickricksports @damonroberts @lfs6b pic.twitter.com/IAik3rkZHO
— Real America's Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) February 26, 2025
Economic projections suggest that making healthcare pricing fully transparent could generate significant savings. Analysts estimate that improved competition among hospitals and insurers could reduce medical costs by $80 billion annually. Employers could see a 27% drop in healthcare spending for commonly used services simply by comparing available pricing.
Trump signs bombshell order set to turn US healthcare on its head
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.https://t.co/23t62TnaQI pic.twitter.com/9TWzsozMrZ
— Trump2024_no_matter_what (@TexasTrump2024) February 26, 2025
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy hailed the order as a decisive step in making the healthcare system more accountable. The Biden administration previously faced lawsuits for failing to enforce prescription drug price transparency, an issue that Trump’s new order seeks to correct.
