A Mom Owed Nearly $102,000 for Hospital Care. Her State Attorney General Said to Pay Up.
As politicians bash privately run hospitals for their aggressive debt collection tactics, consumer advocates say one North Carolina familyâs six-figure medical bill is an example of how state attorneys general and state-operated hospitals also can harm patients financially.
The Hospital Bills Didnât Find Her, but a Lawsuit Did â Plus Interest
Recovering from emergency gallbladder surgery, a Tennessee woman said she spent months without a permanent mailing address and never got a bill. She was sued by the health system two years later.
He Returned to the US for His Daughterâs Wedding. He Left With a $42,000 Hospital Bill.
After emergency surgery, an American expatriate with Swiss insurance now carries the baggage of a five-figure bill. Costs for medical care in the U.S. can be two to three times the rates in other developed countries, so foreigners and expats with good insurance in their home countries need travel insurance to protect themselves from âcrazy prices.â
Expectant Mom Needed $15,000 Overnight to Save Her Twins
Doctors rushed a pregnant woman to a surgeon who charged thousands upfront just to see her. The case reveals a gap in medical billing protections for those with rare, specialized conditions.
ERâs Error Lands a 4-Year-Old in Collections (For Care He Didnât Receive)
A Florida woman tried to dispute an emergency room bill, but the hospital and collection agency refused to talk to her â because it was her childâs name on the bill, not hers.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Biden Budget Touches All the Bases
Very little in the proposed budget released by the Biden administration is likely to become law, particularly with Republicans in charge of the U.S. House. Still, the document is an important statement of the presidentâs policy priorities, and itâs clear health programs are among those he feels are important. Meanwhile, five women who were denied abortions when their pregnancies threatened their lives are suing Texas. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Victoria Knight of Axios, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times join KHNâs Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Harris Meyer, who reported and wrote the two latest KHN-NPR âBill of the Monthâ features. Both were about families facing unexpected bills following childbirth.
Surprise-Billing Law Loophole: When âOut of Networkâ Doesnât Quite Mean Out of Network
Billing experts and lawmakers are playing catch-up as providers find ways to get around new surprise-billing laws, leaving patients like Danielle Laskey of Washington state with big bills for emergency care.
A Baby Spent 36 Days in an In-Network NICU. Why Did the Hospital Next Door Send a Bill?
A baby spent more than a month in a Chicago NICU. A big bill revealed she was treated by out-of-network doctors from the childrenâs hospital next door. Her parents were charged despite a state law protecting patients from such out-of-network billing â and sent to collections when they didnât pay up.
Watch: Patient Sent to Collections for Surgery She Never Had
KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal joins “CBS This Morning” to discuss how difficult a clerical error can be to fix and how patients can respond if it happens to them.
KHN-NPRâs âBill of the Monthâ at 5: A Treasury of Solutions for Confounding Medical Bills
Readers and listeners shared more than 1,000 personal stories of medical billing problems with KHN-NPRâs âBill of the Monthâ investigative series this year, helping us illuminate the financial decisions patients are pressed to make in their most vulnerable moments.
The Case of the Two Grace Elliotts: A Medical Billing Mystery
A health system charged a woman for a shoulder replacement at a hospital across the country that she had not visited for years. She didnât receive the care, but she did receive the bill â and the medical records of a stranger.
Readers and Tweeters Chime In on Disability Rights and Drug Discounts
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
KHNâs âWhat the Health?â: Medicaid Machinations
The lame-duck Congress has returned to Washington with a long health care to-do list and only a little time. Meanwhile, some of the states that have not yet expanded Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act are rethinking those decisions. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHNâs Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHNâs Fred Clasen-Kelly, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR âBill of the Monthâ feature, about a mysterious mishap during minor surgery.
An Unexplained Injury Discovered After Eye Surgery. What Should Happen Next?
Some doctors and medical practices voluntarily give rebates on a bill if an injury occurs during a procedure, while others will not, an expert says. Hereâs how patients can respond.
Readers and Tweeters Decry Medical Billing Errors, Price-Gouging, and Barriers to Benefits
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Readers and Tweeters Take Positions on Sleep Apnea Treatment
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
$38,398 for a Single Shot of a Very Old Cancer Drug
Lupron, a drug patented half a century ago, treats advanced prostate cancer. Itâs sold to physicians for $260 in the U.K. and administered at no charge. Why are U.S. hospitals â which may pay nearly as little for the drug â charging so much more to administer it?
A Billing Expert Saved Big After Finding an Incorrect Charge in Her Husbandâs ER Bill
A medical billing specialist investigated her husbandâs ER bill. Her sleuthing took over a year but knocked thousands of dollars off the hospitalâs charges â and provides a playbook for other consumers.
Listen: Grieving Families Face the Cruelest Bills
KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber talks with NPR’s “Consider This” podcast about her reporting on families confronted with medical bills while grieving the loss of a baby who received expensive hospital care.
Watch: Their Baby Died. The Medical Bills Haunted Them.
Sterling Raspe lived just eight months. In this KHN video, her father shows the 2-inch stack of medical bills generated by Sterlingâs care.
