Transparency in Healthcare System in the United States

The administration of US President Donald Trump has approved the final version of the bill, according to which medical institutions will have to pursue a transparent pricing policy. This measure involves the publication of information about the amount of discounts provided to patients, and information about the rates agreed with the insurers.

The law, coming into force in January 2021, reflects the Trump administration’s intention to cut health care costs. It is expected that each hospital will be required to publish annually a list of standard prices (including gross costs; discounts for patients who pay in cash; etc.) for the services they provide, including the cost of treatment for groups of diagnoses approved by the Social Security Law. Violators face a monetary fine.

US Minister of Health and Human Services Alex Azar expressed the hope that medical institutions, respecting the rights of patients, will provide all information about the cost of services, and will not follow the example of large pharmaceutical companies and impede the policy of transparent prices.

Trump administration worried about transparent drug prices

President Donald Trump’s administration and pharmacists are in a heated debate over the need to list drug prices in television ads.

Displaying prices in advertisements will mislead buyers, ” said CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). He made the announcement a few hours before US Secretary of Health and Human Services gave a speech on drug prices and the Donald Trump administration’s plan to bring them down.

The PhRMA CEO questioned the legality and practicality of showing drug prices in TV ads. Instead, the association invites consumers to visit its official website, which lists the prices of drugs depending on the volume purchased. In addition, PhRMA has developed a special platform for patients where they can get the information they need.

However, Alex Azar promised that the White House will continue its policy of transparent drug prices. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that the majority of Americans support this initiative.

Constitutional law expert Robert Corn-Revere, when asked if this violates the First Amendment to the US Constitution regarding the guarantee of freedom of speech, said that “it all comes down to specific cases.”

Stephen Ubl did not exclude the possibility of filing a lawsuit.