How Hospitals Gouge Americans By Gaming Trump’s Order To Post Prices
By: Nathan Richendollar
January 22, 2026Current law lets hospitals charge patients significantly more than they were quoted. Trump could change that by making hospitals pay it back.Surprise medical bills have bludgeoned most Americans. In fact, about half of insured Americans face unexpected charges every year. In 2020, Congress passed the No Surprises Act, which banned out-of-network billing rates for some services. It also entitled patients who aren’t using health insurance to a “good faith estimate” of out-of-pocket costs before receiving care. But there’s a catch that stacks the deck against patients and taxpayers: final bills within $400 of the original estimate are legally collectible.
After stinging GOP losses in November, health care “affordability” is all the rage. Voters are frustrated that every other medical appointment brings another unexpected charge and an inevitable battle of wills and wits with the billing department. Christopher Jacobs recently opined in these pages that “Republicans should stop playing into Democrats’ hands and start … reducing the underlying cost of health care.” In that spirit, President Donald Trump should ensure that hospitals do not profit from “errors” with executive action.
In February, Trump issued an executive order building on a first-term order that required hospitals to post public prices for common, standardized procedures like CTs, MRIs, mammograms, etc. If hospitals must post prices rather than bill insurers and patients later, patients will price-shop and save money for themselves and their insurers (which, if they are on Medicare and Medicaid, is you, the taxpayer!). But the $400 wiggle room embedded in the No Surprises Act eliminates much of the intended benefit.
<..snip..>
https://thefederalist.com/2026/01/22/how-hospitals-gouge-americans-by-gaming-trumps-order-to-post-prices/
