Authored by Lawrence Wilson via The Epoch Times,
Hospitals must provide complete and accurate price information to patients before they agree to an elective procedure, or they may find themselves in federal court, Andrew Ferguson, director of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), said at a healthcare transparency forum on Oct. 5.
Emergency medicine center for trauma and critical care in Washington on Jan. 2, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch TimesFerguson said he'd written to the CEOs of 24 of the nation's largest healthcare companies, reminding them that the FTC has the power to enforce federal laws on unfair and deceptive pricing.
"Let me be clear: these letters are a warning. Healthcare providers must disclose their prices to consumers and must do so starting today," Ferguson told forum attendees.
Hospitals have been required to publicly post price information since 2020, although only about half fully comply with that regulation, according to a recent report.
Even when posted, however, many of the online files are extremely large and may be difficult for consumers to navigate.
Lack of clarity will no longer be tolerated, Ferguson said.
"Hospitals cannot conceal the true cost of a procedure to prevent patients from shopping for better deals at competing facilities, and hospital price disclosures must be complete, accurate, and offered in advance of scheduled services," he said.
A price can be deceptive if it
