Only actual hospital prices, displayed as dollars and cents, not estimates, formulas, or algorithms, protect patients from outrageous bills and hold hospitals accountable for overcharges, errors, and fraud. Accepting CMS’ or other substitutes instead of actual prices undermines broader efforts to make hospital price transparency a reality for American patients and healthcare consumers.

As a first step to move toward greater hospital price transparency and lower costs, CMS can immediately issue $2 million fines on the 30% of American hospitals it concludes are noncompliant. If CMS takes enforcement seriously, the hospital industry will respond by quickly coming into compliance.