Trump smashes hospital bill secrecy sham, forces hospitals to publicly publish secret prices so that consumers can make informed choices By Ethan Huff for News Target
The Trump administration is currently in the process of finalizing a new price transparency rule that, once it comes into effect in January 2021, will force all hospitalsto publish their service prices publicly for the benefit of consumers.
Currently, hospitals are allowed to charge whatever prices they want to for services, typically in secret, burdening patients with exorbitant bills after they’ve already received medical care. But Trump’s new rule will ensure that customers know right upfront what the charges will be beforethey opt for oftentimes very expensive hospital services.
“For decades, hospitals, insurance companies, lobbyists, and special interests have hidden prices from consumers so they could drive up costs for you,” the president stated in an announcement to the nation. “And you had no idea what was happening. You’d get bills that were unbelievable and you have no idea why.”
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President Trump cited several examples, including hospital patients who have been charged obscene prices for MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) tests and pregnancy services. Even simple blood tests are often billed at absurd rates by hospitals, which have gotten used to bilking consumers by charging insurance companies unrealistically high prices for medical services.
“We’re stopping American patients from just getting, pure and simple – two words, very simple words: ripped off,” Trump is quoted as saying. “Because they’ve been ripped off for years.”
Trump also wants insurance companies to discloses expected costs to policyholders before they receive treatment
Hospitals aren’t the only bad players in the American medical paradigm, as insurance companies themselves are notorious for withholding price information from policyholders until after the medical bills come. This places an enormous burden on patients who oftentimes don’t know what they’re getting themselves into until it is already too late.
“This is the biggest revolution I’ve seen in generations,” stated Dr. Art Laffer, who was recently invited by President Trump to the White House to discuss the significance of the new hospital rule, and its associated proposed insurance rule.
“As opposed to most revolutions, this revolution saves lives; it doesn’t cost lives,” Dr. Laffer went on to explain.
According to Dr. Laffer, the health care industry is in desperate need of transparency reform. Not only do patients deserve to know precisely how much they will be expected to pay beforereceiving medical care, but they also deserve improved medical care, which simply can’t happen unless the medical industry is forced to be transparent.
Even though President Trump was unsuccessful in fully repealing and replacing Obamacare as he promised to do while on the campaign trail, POTUS has been able to work within this corrupt system to implement important regulatory reforms like this that will at least help to make the process smoother and more pleasant for consumers.
“The changes you described, what we’re doing at HHS (Department of Health and Human Services), will be revolutionary to our health care system – perhaps the biggest single change that President Trump has made to Americans’ health care experience,” added Alex Azar, Secretary of HHS.
Azar, as you may recall, isn’t exactly a revolutionary when it comes to fighting the health care status quo, seeing as how he’s the former president of drug giant Lilly USA, a division of Eli Lilly and Company. Azar has other ties to the drug industry as well, having worked as general counsel and then-deputy secretary of the HHS during the George W. Bush administration.
Still, Azar seems to be cooperating with the agenda of President Trump, which in this case appears to be for the benefit of consumers rather than special interests.
