The President, as anticipated, did issue today an executive order on improving healthcare price and quality transparency. The order directs administration action from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Internal Revenue Service and other agencies on pretty aggressive timelines. The Wall Street Journal reports in this regard that

Some action could come soon because the administration is already working on two unrelated rules that deal with pricing. HHS is expected in July to release a hospital payment rule that may include price-disclosure requirements, and a separate health-information rule could also require rates to be publicly shared. Either regulation could become a tool for delivering on the order.

The Journal also explains that

President Trump’s order reflects a deeper worry over the escalating cost of health care animating voters and shaping the presidential election. More than two-thirds of people say that reducing health-care costs should be a top priority for the president and Congress this year, according to a January survey by the Pew Research Center. 

The Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee’s bipartisan bill to lower healthcare costs (S. 1895) has two titles (III and V) dealing with healthcare pricing and quality transparency. The FEHBlog expects this bill to pass the Senate but whether it can clear the House of Representatives is an open question.

The rules stemming from today’s Executive Order likely will face legal challenges. In this regard, the Supreme Court took another Affordable Care Act case today. The Court will consider the case discussed at this Scotusblog link during its October 2019 term. The FEHBlog wrote an article for the American Bar Association’s Health Law Section eSource on the Federal Circuit decisions that the Supreme Court will review in this case. Is there another law that has been the subject of so many legal challenges??

The FEHBlog is a fan of Russ Roberts’ EconTalk podcast. Check out today’s episode with Eric Topol about his new book Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human Again. Learn about incidentalomas.