Was 2018 The Year That Health Care Reached Its Breaking Point?
For many Americans, the risk of going without insurance was the only real option. Other stories look at the high cost of both insurance and care, and the toll it's taking on people across the country.
Bloomberg:
What We Learned From A Year Of Americans ‘Risking It’ Without Insurance
We started off following a dozen families: people who were trying to work, raise children and pay for a house or college. When we invited others to share their stories about going uninsured, an overwhelming number did — more than 5,000. Many sent us messages that could break your heart or raise your blood pressure. In Virginia, the Jordan family shared their tale of sinking into bankruptcy because of unexpected medical expenses, even though they had insurance. (Tozzi, 12/28)
The Wall Street Journal:
John Stockman’s Medical Bills Topped $1 Million. What Happened?
John Stockman thought he just had a terrible stomach ache when he went to the emergency room at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Center while on vacation in Colorado Springs, Colo., last year. It was a clot that had partially blocked the flow of blood from his intestine. By nightfall the next day, Mr. Stockman, 62, was on a ventilator after emergency surgery to remove 4 feet of damaged bowel. (Armour, 12/27)
The Wall Street Journal:
The Hidden System That Explains How Your Doctor Makes Referrals
Phoebe Putney Health System doesn’t want its doctors to send business to competitors. If they do, Phoebe makes sure their bosses know about it. Doctors working for the Albany, Ga.-based hospital system’s affiliated physician group get regular reports breaking down their referrals to specialists or services. One viewed by The Wall Street Journal included cardiology, colonoscopies and speech therapy, along with the share of each referred to Phoebe health-care providers. (Wilde Mathews and Evans, 12/27)
NPR:
Should Crowdfunding Companies Restrict Campaigns For Dubious Medical Treatments?
For deep water divers who decompress too quickly, doctors may advise they lie inside a pressurized glass tube and inhale pure oxygen to treat painful symptoms known as "the bends." The oxygen boost is thought to reduce swelling and prevent infection. The treatment, known as hyperbaric oxygen therapy or HBOT, is approved for a few other conditions, like carbon monoxide poisoning and a form of gangrene. But some clinics around the country offer it for numerous other health problems, including migraine headaches, depression, strokes, and even brain injuries. And HBOT hasn't been proven to work for most of these, according to the FDA. (Cohen, 1/2)
NPR:
Medical Debt And GoFundMe: Friends And Strangers Step In Where Insurance Lags
Tammy Fox wanted to help, after a friend took ill with a rare and difficult-to-diagnose autoimmune disorder that required many trips to the Mayo Clinic. While Fox couldn't do anything medically, she knew there was a way to ease some of the burden of medical bills and costs associated with doctor visits. She turned to the website GoFundMe and set up a site for her friend. (Zdechlik, 12/27)
Kaiser Health News:
Insured But Still In Debt: 5 Jobs Pulling In $100K A Year No Match For Medical Bills
Robert and Tiffany Cano of San Tan Valley, Ariz., have a new marriage, a new house and a 10-month-old son, Brody, who is delighted by his ability to blow raspberries. They also have a stack of medical bills that threatens to undermine it all.In the months since their sturdy, brown-eyed boy was born, the Canos have acquired more than $12,000 in medical debt — so much that they need a spreadsheet to track what they owe to hospitals and doctors. (Aleccia, 12/28)
Kaiser Health News:
Refund On The Way To Latest ‘Bill Of The Month’ Patient
Sarah Witter had to pay for a second surgery to repair her broken leg after a metal plate installed during the first surgery broke. On Friday, she got a more welcome break — a $6,358.26 refund from the hospital and her insurer. Witter’s experience was the subject of December’s KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature. She and her insurer, Aetna, had racked up $99,159 in bills from a Rutland, Vt., hospital and various medical providers after she fractured her leg in a skiing accident last February. (Rau, 12/21)
