Trump administration issues final rule on transparency in healthcare coverage

The Trump administration finalized a federal rule on Monday intended to make the prices charged for medical care easier for the public to find and use. Under the regulation, healthcare providers must publish machine-readable data files every month for each plan or coverage option they offer. Insurers must also stop listing "ghost rates," which are negotiated prices between insurers and medical providers for services that were never actually performed, according to PBS NewsHour.

The measure expands on pricing standards first developed in 2020. According to the Associated Press, which PBS NewsHour carried, it targets problems with those earlier requirements, including data files that grew too large and information that was hard to navigate.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the change at a press event, saying it would give the public a clearer picture of what care really costs. Separately, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson sent a formal warning to large for-profit hospital groups. He reminded them that they are legally obligated to give truthful information about their prices.

Summarized by PolitiKool from PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at PBS NewsHour →