The Trump administration is delaying
a rule that would require hospitals to share negotiated rates
because officials said they are working to expand the plan to include insurers.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had proposed making hospitals next year share the rates they negotiate with insurers, with a possible fine of up to $300 a day for failing to comply. The mandate would have covered all the more than 6,000 hospitals that accept Medicare, as well as some others.
Providers and payers oppose the rule that would reveal private negotiations in competitive contracts. It would require all hospitals to post payer-specific negotiated charges for certain non-urgent services in a user-friendly format. The impact for patients and employers who provide health-care coverage is uncertain and data on the success of price transparency show mixed results...(
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