Biden Administration to Ban Medical Debt From Americans’ Credit Scores
The White House said the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will develop new regulations that would prevent unpaid medical bills from being counted on credit reports.
With Its Two Doctors Planning to Retire, an Alabama Town Patches Together Health Care Options
LaFayette and other rural areas of the country tend to have high rates of health problems but not enough doctors. Many are adapting by investing in nontraditional prevention and treatment options.
Social Security Overpays Billions to People, Many on Disability. Then It Demands the Money Back.
Beneficiaries in five states described what happened when they received letters calling on them to return overpayments that can reach tens of thousands of dollars or more.
Un padre soñaba con una casa para su familia. La deuda médica casi los deja en la calle
En todo el país, la deuda médica obliga a legiones de estadounidenses a hacer sacrificios dolorosos. Muchos recortan gastos en alimentos, asumen trabajos adicionales o agotan sus ahorros para la jubilación. Miles no pueden conseguir vivienda.
A Father Dreamed of a Home for His Family. Medical Debt Nearly Pushed Them Onto the Streets.
As cities like Denver struggle to make homes more affordable, medical debt keeps housing out of reach for millions of Americans.
She Paid Her Husband’s Hospital Bill. A Year After His Death, They Wanted More Money.
A widow encountered a perplexing reality in medical billing: Providers can come after patients to collect well after a bill has been paid.
Funyuns and Flu Shots? Gas Station Company Ventures Into Urgent Care
A Tulsa-based gas station chain is using its knowledge of how to serve customers and locate shops in easy-to-find spots to enter the urgent care industry, which has doubled in size over the past decade. Experts question how the explosion of convenient clinics will affect care costs and wait times.
North Carolina Hospitals Have Sued Thousands of Their Patients, a New Report Finds
An analysis of court records by the state treasurer and Duke researchers finds Atrium Health, originally a public hospital system, accounted for almost a third of the legal actions against North Carolina patients over roughly five years.
Watch: As Opioid Settlement Money Starts to Flow, States and Local Officials Debate How to Use It
PBS NewsHour featured KFF Health News’ Aneri Pattani as it reported on how this debate is playing out in North Carolina and Ohio.
What One Lending Company’s Hospital Contracts Reveal About Financing Patient Debt
Within two years of North Carolina’s public university system going into business with AccessOne to finance patients’ payment plans, nearly half of its patients were in loans that charged interest. As federal scrutiny increases on lenders, KFF Health News is sharing that contract and others obtained through public records requests.
Repeating History: California County Plugs Budget Gap With Opioid Settlement Cash
State attorneys general vowed that opioid settlement funds — unlike the tobacco settlement of the 1990s — would go toward tackling the underlying crisis. But in Mendocino County, officials have found a way to use some of its share to help fill a budget shortfall — a throwback to what agreement architects hoped to avoid.
Sen. Sanders Says Millions of People Can’t Find a Doctor. He’s Mostly Right.
The Vermont senator sees beefing up the primary care workforce as a critical step in expanding Americans’ access to health care.
His Anesthesia Provider Billed Medicare Late. He Got Sent to Collections for the $3,000 Tab.
Medicare was supposed to cover the entire cost of his procedure. But after the anesthesia provider failed to file its claims in a timely manner, it billed the patient instead.
Medical Debt Is Making Americans Angry. Doctors and Hospitals Ignore This at Their Peril.
Doctors and hospitals hold an exalted position in American life, retaining public confidence even as other institutions such as government, law enforcement, and the media are losing people’s trust. But with health care debt out of hand, medical providers risk their good standing.
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 family’s six-figure medical bill is an example of how state attorneys general and state-operated hospitals also can harm patients financially.
Meet the People Deciding How to Spend $50 Billion in Opioid Settlement Cash
As settlement dollars land at the state level, state councils wield significant power in determining how the windfall gets spent. And, though they will likely include the most knowledgeable voices on addiction, these panels also face concerns about conflicts of interest and other issues.
La atención primaria está cambiando: el acceso y la calidad están en juego
Una relación sólida y duradera con un médico de atención primaria —que conozca el historial del paciente y pueda vigilar nuevos problemas— se ha considerado durante mucho tiempo la base de un sistema sanitario de calidad.
Will the Doctor See You Now? The Health System’s Changing Landscape
The “front door” to the health system is changing, under pressure from increased demand, consolidation, and changing patient expectations.
The Hospital Bills Didn’t Find Her, but a Lawsuit Did — 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.
‘We’re Not Doing That’: Why a Black Couple Wouldn’t Crowdfund to Pay Off Medical Debts
Kristie Fields, a cancer patient in Virginia, was urged to go public to seek financial help. She worried about feeding hurtful stereotypes.
