- President Trump issued an executive order directing multiple federal agencies to develop regulations with the goal of enhancing consumers’ ability to gain access to information on the quality and pricing of health care services.
- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) was ordered to issue a proposed rule within 60 days “to require hospitals to publicly post standard charge information, including charges and information on negotiated rates and for common or shoppable items and services, in an easy-to-understand, consumer-friendly, and machine readable format.”
- HHS and the Departments of Treasury and Labor were ordered to issue, within 90 days, an advance notice for public comments on requiring providers and insurers to disclose information about out-of-pocket costs before patients receive care. And within 180 days, HHS, along with the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, are to develop a health quality roadmap to align and improve reporting on data and quality measures across federal health care programs.
- The order also aims at granting researchers, innovators, and providers with access to de-identified claims data so they can develop tools for informing patients about prices and quality, as well as incentivizing consumers to shop for care by expanding the benefit of Health Savings Accounts and other tax-preferred health accounts.
