Heidi de Marco

Heidi de Marco was a reporter and producer for KFF Health News until March 2023.

@HeidideMarco

An $80,000 Tab for Newborns Lays Out a Loophole in the New Law to Curb Surprise Bills

KFF Health News Original

The insurance company said that the birth of the Bull family’s twins was not an emergency and that NICU care was “not medically necessary.” The family’s experience with a huge bill sent to collections happened in 2020, but it exposes a hole in the new No Surprises law that took effect Jan. 1.

As Patients Fell Ill With Covid Inside Hospitals, Government Oversight Fell Short

KFF Health News Original

A KHN investigation finds that hospitals with high rates of covid patients who didn’t have the diagnosis when they were admitted have rarely been held accountable due to multiple gaps in government oversight.

Etching the Pain of Covid Into the Flesh of Survivors

KFF Health News Original

Memorial tattoos have grown more popular in recent years. Since parlors reopened after the lockdown, inkers have found that many people are eager to memorialize relatives and friends lost to covid.

California’s Reboot of Troubled Medi-Cal Puts Pressure on Health Plans

KFF Health News Original

The nine commercial insurers in Medi-Cal must reapply by submitting bids for new contracts. The state hopes the process will improve care for low-income residents and tighten accountability, something critics say has been missing.

Sin papeles, sin atención: migrantes con discapacidades buscan ayuda a través de demandas y activismo

KFF Health News Original

No hay estadísticas disponibles sobre el número de inmigrantes indocumentados con dispacadidades en los Estados Unidos. Pero ya sea que estén detenidos, trabajando sin papeles o esperando audiencias de asilo en el lado mexicano de la frontera, no tienen acceso a atención médica.

No Papers, No Care: Disabled Migrants Seek Help Through Lawsuit, Activism

KFF Health News Original

A class action lawsuit seeks better care for immigrants with physical disabilities or mental illness who were detained after trying to enter the country. Other disabled immigrants without legal status are also finding it difficult to get care.

Temperaturas extremas aumentan los riesgos de salud de los trabajadores agrícolas

KFF Health News Original

El calor es la principal causa de muerte relacionada con el clima en los Estados Unidos. Entre 1992 y 2017, el estrés por calor mató a 815 trabajadores estadounidenses y lesionó gravemente a más de 70,000, según la Oficina de Estadísticas Laborales.

As Temperatures Rise, So Do the Health Risks for California’s Farmworkers

KFF Health News Original

Workers who harvest crops ranging from grapes to cauliflower in the Coachella Valley are accustomed to temperatures well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. This summer the thermometer has already hit 122, and heatstroke is becoming more common.

Una misión: voluntarios ofrecen atención médica a refugiados hacinados en la frontera

KFF Health News Original

Un número récord de migrantes está realizando el largo viaje hacia la frontera. La Oficina de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza de Estados Unidos detuvo a 180,034 personas en la frontera sur en mayo, un aumento del 78% desde febrero.

‘It’s a Mission’: Volunteers Treat Refugees Massing at the Border

KFF Health News Original

A growing number of Mexican and Central American migrants are trying to cross into the U.S. at the southern border. Volunteers at one free clinic in Tijuana tend to the health needs of migrants waiting for their immigration cases to come up — and simply trying to survive in packed and dangerous encampments.