WASHINGTON – Today Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) Senior Vice President, Office of Policy and Representation, Justine Handelman issued the following statement regarding the executive order on price transparency. 

“We strongly support efforts to empower consumers with greater access to meaningful information that allows them to make the best choices for their health care. Our experience insuring one in three Americans tells us consumers most want clear information about their out-of-pocket costs, the quality of care a physician or facility will provide and whether it is in-network. 

We need to ensure consumers have information that is relevant to their decision-making, while ensuring disclosure of information does not raise costs or jeopardize the privacy and security of consumers’ personal health information. 

We strongly support providing consumers with better access to care that keeps people healthy and addresses chronic conditions. We’re pleased the executive order also advances this goal by giving health insurers more flexibility to cover high-value services on a pre-deductible basis for consumers enrolled in high deductible health plans. 

Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies around the country provide a variety of tools and resources that help patients access and understand their options under their health benefit plans, and these continue to be improved and refined. We will continue to work with the administration, Congress, doctors and hospitals to provide consumers and employers with meaningful, actionable cost and quality information to inform their health care decisions.”