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To lower costs, Trump administration to force hospitals to reveal price of care

The Trump administration on Friday said it would begin forcing hospitals to publicly disclose the discounted prices they negotiate with insurance companies, aiming to help people shop for better deals on a range of medical services, from hip replacements to brain scans.

The federal rule, part of a broader push to make health care markets more transparent to patients, would not take effect until 2021, however. The administration also unveiled a proposed rule to require insurers to allow patients to get advanced estimates of their out-of-pocket costs before they see a doctor or go to the hospital.

The hospital industry, which has long kept these rates secret, will almost certainly challenge the rule in court.