Trump admin warns 20 Alabama hospitals over price transparency

Twenty Alabama hospitals have received federal enforcement letters from the Trump administration over alleged failures to comply with hospital price transparency requirements, according to a list obtained by The Associated Press.

The letters are part of a nationwide enforcement effort targeting 519 hospitals that federal officials say are not providing the public with required pricing information for medical services. Alabama tied Mississippi with 20 hospitals receiving enforcement actions, placing it among the states with the highest number of hospitals cited by regulators.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued two types of enforcement actions: warning notices and more serious corrective action plan requests, known as CAP requests. Hospitals that fail to address deficiencies can face penalties of up to $2 million annually.

Among the Alabama hospitals receiving warning notices was DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa. However, DCH Health System said the issue identified by CMS did not involve missing pricing information.

In a statement, DCH said it received a notice from CMS on April 17 regarding its Hospital Price Transparency file. According to the health system, regulators flagged the use of “DCH Regional Medical Center” instead of the legal entity name, “DCH Healthcare Authority.”

DCH said it corrected the file immediately and CMS reviewed the update on April 22.

“The issue identified was limited to the use of ‘DCH Regional Medical Center’ rather than the legal entity name, ‘DCH Healthcare Authority,'” the health system said.

DCH said it remains committed to complying with all federal hospital price transparency requirements and responding promptly to CMS guidance and requests to ensure accurate information is available to the public.

UAB issued a similar statement, stating, “This reporting is based on outdated data; CMS confirmed that these issues have been resolved following an April 2026 compliance review.”

The Trump administration has argued that stronger enforcement of price transparency rules first established through a 2019 executive order will help patients, employers and insurers better understand healthcare costs before receiving treatment.

According to the federal list, seven Alabama hospitals received warning notices:

• DCH Regional Medical Center, Tuscaloosa
• Eastpointe Hospital, Daphne
• Grandview Medical Center, Birmingham
• Noland Hospital Birmingham-Downtown
• Noland Hospital Dothan
• Noland Hospital Tuscaloosa
• Thomas Hospital, Fairhope

An additional 13 Alabama hospitals received corrective action plan requests:

• Baypointe Behavioral Health, Mobile
• Bullock County Hospital, Union Springs
• Decatur Morgan Hospital-Parkway Campus, Decatur
• Grove Hill Memorial Hospital, Grove Hill
• Marion Regional Health-Winfield
• Marshall Medical Center North, Guntersville
• Marshall Medical Center South, Boaz
• Monroe County Hospital, Monroeville
• St. Vincent’s St. Clair, Pell City
• St. Vincent’s Birmingham
• St. Vincent’s Blount, Oneonta
• St. Vincent’s Chilton, Clanton
• St. Vincent’s East, Birmingham

Federal officials contend that some hospitals either have not posted required machine-readable files containing negotiated prices or have failed to make pricing data accessible and complete as required under federal regulations.

Hospital price transparency rules require hospitals to publicly disclose standard charges for items and services, including rates negotiated with insurance companies, discounted cash prices and other pricing information.

The American Hospital Association has said most hospitals are complying with the federal requirements, while acknowledging there is room to improve how pricing information is presented to patients.

The enforcement effort is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to increase healthcare price transparency. Administration officials told The Associated Press that additional hospitals could receive warning letters as regulators continue reviewing compliance. ABC 33/40