The Trump administration has issued warning notices and corrective action plan (CAP) requests to more than 500 hospitals nationwide—including 16 in Tennessee—for failing to provide the public with clear, basic pricing information. Among the affected Tennessee facilities is Cookeville Regional Medical Center, located in Cookeville, which was officially issued a “Warning Notice” by the federal government.

This enforcement push stems from a 2019 executive order aimed at increasing price transparency to help patients, employers, and insurers know the costs of treatments like blood work and imaging ahead of time. Under these standards, non-compliant institutions face steep penalties of up to $2 million annually if they fail to rectify their transparency issues and post legitimate, un-estimated pricing data.

While some major health systems have attributed their notices to minor formatting issues, the widespread warnings underscore a broader administration strategy to leverage market competition to drive down healthcare expenses, a key point of focus ahead of upcoming elections.