10/20/2026
Earlier this month, the FTC warned 24 health systems that murky or misleading price postings could break federal consumer protection law. That’s on top of the more than 500 hospitals that have received warning letters this year for not following federal price-transparency rules.
What that tells us is that the government is pushing hard to make healthcare prices public, and many hospitals are still dragging their feet.
The rules are clear. Hospitals have to post their prices online, and as of this year those have to be actual prices, not estimates. Health plans have to offer cost-estimate tools, too. The same MRI can cost thousands of dollars more at one facility than at another a few miles down the road, and you’re allowed to find that out before you book.
Most people never check, because for decades nobody told them they could.
For employers, this is one of the easiest wins sitting in your plan. Teach your people that “What will this cost?” is a fair question with a real answer, and they stop being passive plan members and start making smarter choices. Those choices add up, for them and for the plan.
Regulators are making the prices public. Getting employees to actually look them up is up to you, and that’s the part a good benefits partner can help with. Let’s talk: solvins.com
