Power to the Patients, a nonprofit organization dedicated to achieving systemwide healthcare price transparency has been undertaking a national effort. 

For more than a year, the nonprofit has released several public service announcements detailing the reality and severity of this dilemma and the need for it to be addressed.

To help bring more visibility to the issue, Power to the Patients has partnered with Grammy-nominated musician, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Fat Joe.

“We are excited to have Fat Joe join this incredibly important movement to inform patients that it is their lawful right to have upfront prices of medical care,” said Kevin Morra, co-founder of Power to the Patients, in a statement. 

In a series of public service announcements, Fat Joe has stressed the importance of healthcare institutions being transparent about their costs.

One PSA in particular debuted during Super Bowl LVII in February, in which Fat Joe spoke on the issue. 

“People across America are fighting for the truth, fighting to be free from a healthcare system that is being rigged against all of us,” he starts. “One that squeezes are wages and forces patients into debt.”

In January 2021, a federal mandate took into effect, requiring all U.S. hospitals to provide clear, upfront pricing information for all services they provide. 

While medical costs are now a federal right for patients, some transparency is still widely lost along the way in many healthcare institutions nationwide.  

“Our healthcare system is crushing the American Dream by robbing workers, employers, unions and families,” the rapper continues. 

According to the 2022 Semi-Annual Hospital Price Transparency Compliance Report, only about 24.5% of hospitals comply with the law, representing a major gap with government data reporting that 70% of hospitals are following the law. 

The PSA ends with a call to action for all policymakers to “enforce the existing role to price transparency so that we may create a more honest, equitable, affordable system.” 

During a recent appearance on CNN Primetime with Sara Sidner, Fat Joe noted that more than 100 million individuals across the U.S. are in medical debt.

“The Census says there’s only 300 million Americans,” he said. 

Fat Joe highlights that this is an issue that is affecting Americans of all ages and backgrounds. 

As a Puerto Rican and Cuban born and raised in public housing in the South Bronx, he is a product of one of the nation’s most economically disadvantaged urban districts in the nation that is often disproportionately impacted by this. 

“Partnering with Fat Joe adds an authentic and respected voice from the Bronx and will help bring awareness to his fans, followers, and the general public that hospitals are not following a federal law enforced over [two years] ago,” said Morra. 

During this effort, the rapper has seen instances where families have had to choose between everyday necessities and going to see a doctor. 

Right now, prices for the same care can vary by thousands of dollars within the same hospital. 

With an average of one-in-three Americans experiencing medical debt, simply knowing the costs of a medical procedure before getting it done could help save many Americans hundreds of thousands of dollars and lives.

Since the partnership launched, Fat Joe and Power to the Patients have included rigorous efforts in Washington D.C. and nationwide, encouraging the Biden Administration to enforce the rule and transform the healthcare system into one that puts people’s lives ahead of profits.