Latest KFF Health News Stories
Which Was Worse: The Bachelor Party Hangover Or The Hangover From The ER Bill?
One groom’s bachelor party hangover illustrates how emergency room bills have become major headaches for many Americans.
Air Ambulances Woo Rural Consumers With Memberships That May Leave Them Hanging
State regulators and even one medevac company have raised doubts about prepaid subscriptions and promised benefits offered by air ambulance companies.
Pesadilla por acariciar a un gato: infecciones, rabia… y cuentas sorpresa
Por un simple gesto de afecto hacia un felino: tres visitas a la sala de emergencias, vacunas contra la rabia, agentes del orden animal y el dolor de no comprender las cuentas de salud.
A Brush With A Notorious Cat, My Rabies Education And The Big Bill That Followed
An encounter with a cat led to rabies shots and provided yet another illustration of how confusing, contrary and expensive the American health care system is.
After A Rural Hospital Closes, Delays In Emergency Care Cost Patients Dearly
The loss of the longtime hospital in Fort Scott, Kan., forces trauma patients to deal with changing services and expectations.
Where Tourism Brings Pricey Health Care, Locals Fight Back
Residents in Colorado ski resort country found relief from high insurance premiums and high hospital costs by joining forces and negotiating prices directly with the local hospital.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
Hospitals Block ‘Surprise Billing’ Measure In California
California lawmakers on Wednesday pulled legislation that would have protected some patients from surprise medical bills for emergency care, citing opposition from hospitals. They vowed to resurrect the bill next year.
Texas Is Latest State To Attack Surprise Medical Bills
A new state law says hospitals and insurers will have to work it out among themselves when they can’t agree on a price — instead of sending huge bills to patients. “Bill of the Month” patient Drew Calver galvanized attention on the issue after he told his story to KHN, NPR and “CBS This Morning.”
Readers And Tweeters: No Rush To Judge Patients Who Leave The ER Without OK
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Lawmakers Push To Stop Surprise ER Billing
Millions of Californians are vulnerable to hefty surprise medical bills from their trips to the emergency room. Now, state lawmakers are considering a measure to cap how much out-of-network hospitals can charge privately insured patients for emergency care, which could serve as a model for other states.
Escalada de violencia contra trabajadores de salud conmociona a los hospitales
Presionan a centros de salud a tomar más medidas de seguridad para prevenir una forma de violencia que ha sido considerada por largo tiempo como “parte del trabajo”.
Escalating Workplace Violence Rocks Hospitals
Incidents of serious workplace violence are four times more common in health care than in private industry, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Hartos de esperar: pacientes abandonan las salas de emergencia sin recibir tratamiento
Los pacientes que dejan la sala de emergencias demasiado pronto “se exponen a un mayor riesgo de morbilidad e incluso de mortalidad”, dicen médicos.
As ER Wait Times Grow, More Patients Leave Against Medical Advice
Crowded emergency rooms are likely to blame. In 2017, the median ER wait time for patients before admission as inpatients to California hospitals was 336 minutes — or more than 5½ hours.
Listen: Trump’s Plan To End ‘Unpleasant Surprise’ Bills
President Donald Trump called for an end to the “unpleasant surprise” of certain medical bills on Thursday. NPR reporter Selena Simmons-Duffin covered the White House announcement, which featured two patients from the KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” series.
She Was Dancing On The Roof And Talking Gibberish. A Special Kind Of ER Helped Her.
With mental health beds in short supply, emergency rooms increasingly have become the care of first and last resort for people in the grips of a psychiatric episode. Now, hospitals around the country are opening emergency units that calmly cater to patients with mental health needs.
Texas Lawmakers Take Aim At Surprise Medical Bills
A proposed state law with bipartisan, bicameral support is on the move in Texas. It would force hospitals and insurers to settle surprise bills — instead of relying on patients to start the mediation process. The KHN/NPR “Bill of the Month” series is a catalyst for the effort.
¡Miau-ch! Le cobran $48,152 por una droga contra la rabia
Una bióloga de Florida, amante de los animales, quiso alimentar a un gato callejero. Lo que siguió fue una pesadilla de gastos médicos inesperados.
An animal lover stopped to feed a hungry-looking stray cat outside Everglades National Park in Florida. First, the cat bit her finger — then the hospital billed her close to $50,000 for a treatment that typically costs about $3,000.
