The downside of drug price transparency

The Trump administration's new mandate that drug makers display their medications’ list prices in TV ads was designed to be a boost for transparency. But Aaron Troy, a medical student at NYU, opines that the requirement is going to make drug ads more confusing and alarming for consumers.

His concern is that shocking price tags might actually dissuade patients from seeking care, out of worry that they’d never be able to afford important medications. However, the prices that will be displayed in advertisements don’t tell the whole story, and thanks to insurance, don’t account for the cost that most consumers end up paying out of pocket.