Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar released the following statement regarding President Trump’s announcement of principles for legislation addressing surprise medical billing:

“Laying out principles for Congress to address surprise billing is another major step in President Trump’s efforts to deliver on this commitment: You, as the American patient, have the right to know what a prescription drug or healthcare service costs before you receive it. We aim to address surprise billing in a way that will protect American patients from this abusive practice and lay a foundation for a system where the patient is put at ease and in control. Today’s announcement follows our announcement yesterday that we have finalized the new requirement that drug companies include their list prices in television ads, which was one more step toward delivering American patients the affordability they need, the options and control they want, and the quality they deserve.”

To read about the administration’s announcement on drug prices in TV ads, visit: https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2019/05/08/cms-drug-pricing-transparency-fact-sheet.html