Increasing price transparency at hospitals and healthcare organizations has been a priority for President Donald Trump’s as his administration seeks to increase clarity for patients surrounding what they will actually pay for for services.
While federal price transparency laws have been in effect for hospitals since Jan. 1, 2021, and July 1, 2022 for payers, a new wave of enforcement has re-ignited
Here are five recent updates on price transparency laws and enforcement:
1. The Trump administration sent warning letters to 519 hospitals nationwide citing them for failing to provide transparent pricing information June 9.
The Associated Press exclusively received a list of hospitals that have either received warning letters or requests to submit plans to provide transparency pricing since April. A senior administration official who requested anonymity told the news outlet that President Donald Trump plans to ramp up price transparency enforcement and more hospitals are likely to receive letters for failure to comply.
2. The list obtained by the AP shows that Texas-based hospitals received the most warning letters with 42, followed by California (38) and Indiana (34). Every state except Alaska had at least one hospital receive a warning letter.
3. New price transparency rules took effect for hospitals April 1 regarding machine readable files. The changes focus on three core areas: attestation language and executive accountability for file accuracy, new requirements for percentile allowed amount reporting and counts of allowed amounts, and National Provider Identifier reporting.
4. CMS has fined 28 hospitals for alleged price transparency violations since the law took effect in 2021. To date, only one hospital has been fined for violations in 2026. Ten hospitals received fines in 2025.
5. In February 2025, President Trump signed another executive order directing HHS and the Labor and Treasury departments to “rapidly implement and enforce” the regulations he introduced in his first term. The “Great American Healthcare Plan” proposal the White House unveiled in January called for any healthcare provider or insurer that accepts Medicare or Medicaid to prominently post their pricing and fees in their places of business.
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