News

Health & Wellness

On HALO

14 hours ago

The Limits of Disclosure and the Power of the Outside Option: A Case for External Reference Pricing in Healthcare

By DAVID INTROCASO & ADAM CUNNINGHAM For over a decade, federal healthcare policy has operated on a foundational premise: if hospital prices are made visible, market discipline will inevitably follow. The push for price transparency—exemplified by federal disclosure rules and current legislative proposals such as the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act (H.R. 9393) and the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act (S. 2355)—aims to empower buyers and stimulate price competition. Yet, despite terabytes of disclosed price files, commercial hospital prices continue to escalate far out of prop...