Trump meets with patients, doctors to discuss surprise medical bills

In an effort to curb “unexpected and outrageous bills,” President Trump invited patients and others to the White House to discuss their experiences with such pricing, Kaiser Health News reported. The discussion is part of Trump’s overall goal to impact drug prices and transparency in healthcare.

“The pricing is hurting patients, and we’ve stopped a lot of it, but we’re going to stop all of it,” Trump said during the discussion with attendees.

The attendees included retired physician Paul Davis, MD, whose daughter, Elizabeth Moreno, experienced a $17,850 bill for a urine test after undergoing surgery for back pain in Texas. Though Davis paid $5,000 of the bill, he filed a complaint with the Texas attorney general’s office citing “price gouging of staggering proportions.”

“This is how most of America lives, and Americans are getting hammered,” said surgeon and health policy expert Martin Makary, MD, of Johns Hopkins University. Makary attended the meeting and told Kaiser Health News the meeting was a good opportunity for the Trump administration to hear firsthand about the issue.

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As a senior news writer for TriMed, Subrata covers cardiology, clinical innovation and healthcare business. She has a master’s degree in communication management and 12 years of experience in journalism and public relations.

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