Trump administration adds executive attestation to health price transparency rule
The Trump administration issued a final rule on Oct. 6, 2026, in Washington, D.C., mandating group health plans and health insurance issuers to attach an executive attestation that the price information in their machine‑readable files is true, accurate and complete as of the filing date.
The new requirement is designed to boost accountability in the health‑care market, giving patients and employers more reliable data to compare costs and negotiate better deals. Advocates say it addresses long‑standing gaps that have let insurers publish incomplete or misleading information.
In addition to the attestation, the rule requires insurers to provide consumers with personalized cost‑sharing information by phone, supplementing existing online tools. HHS highlighted that the rule will also reduce duplicative data, add more context about in‑network prices, expand out‑of‑network pricing information, and reinforce the completeness and accuracy of published data.
"The added requirement of executive attestation that published prices and other information are true, accurate, and complete as of the date in the machine‑readable file is a breakthrough for compliance," said Cynthia A. Fisher, founder and chairman of PatientRightsAdvocate.org.
Former Domestic Policy Council director Andrew Bremberg called the measure a step that "will unleash actual transparency and accountability," while OJ Oleka, CEO of the State Financial Officers Foundation, praised it as "meaningful progress for employers, patients, and taxpayers trying to understand what healthcare actually costs."
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. noted that earlier transparency efforts had flooded the market with excessive data that often obscured true costs, adding that the new rule forces providers to publish information that can be directly compared. Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of CMS, said, "Greater transparency drives competition, reduces price disparities, and helps lower healthcare costs, a key priority for the Trump Administration."
GOP strategist David Kochel pointed to the political timing, saying the rule shows Republicans are willing to act on an issue that hits Americans' wallets every day. Save Our States executive director Trent England called price transparency "one of the most obvious policies in American politics" and said the rule puts power back in the hands of patients and employers.
The rule was announced on Monday, and HHS indicated that insurers will need to incorporate the executive attestation into their next reporting cycle, with enforcement measures to follow as filings are reviewed.
