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Showing 61-80 of 3,621 results for "bill of the month"

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What the Health? From KFF Health News: Congress Is Out. The Presidential Campaign Is In.

August 3, 2023 Podcast

Congress is in recess until after Labor Day, and lawmakers won’t have much time when they return to get the government funded before the next fiscal year. Meanwhile, the Republican campaign for president has begun in earnest, and while repealing the Affordable Care Act is no longer the top promise, some candidates have lively ideas about what to do with federal health programs. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Phil Galewitz, who reported the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month,” about how a bill that should never have been sent created headaches for one patient.

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A photo of a doctor speaking to patients in a hospital waiting room.

How Your In-Network Health Coverage Can Vanish Before You Know It

By Elisabeth Rosenthal March 15, 2024 KFF Health News Original

One of the most unfair aspects of medical insurance is this: Patients can change insurance only during end-of-year enrollment periods or at the time of “qualifying life events.” But insurers’ contracts with doctors, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies can change abruptly at any time.

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What the Health? From KFF Health News: The Long Road to Reining In Short-Term Plans 

July 13, 2023 Podcast

President Biden made good on a campaign promise this week with a proposal that would limit short-term health insurance plans that boast low premiums but also few benefits. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court’s decision to outlaw affirmative action programs could set back efforts to diversify the nation’s medical workforce. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Amy Goldstein of the Washington Post, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat News join KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Bram Sable-Smith, who reported the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” about how a hospital couldn’t track down a patient, but a debt collector could.

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An Arm and a Leg: Winning a Two-Year Fight Over a Bogus Bill

By Dan Weissmann April 24, 2025 Podcast

How one “Arm and a Leg” listener stayed encouraged during a two-year fight over a bill she didn’t owe.

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Without Medicare Part B’s Shield, Patient’s Family Owes $81,000 for a Single Air-Ambulance Flight

By Tony Leys February 27, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Sky-high bills from air-ambulance providers have sparked complaints and federal action in recent years. But a rural Tennessee resident fell through the cracks of billing protections — and a single helicopter ride could cost much of her estate’s value.

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A photo illustration of a hand holding up a $100 bill that is disappearing into thin air.

It’s 2026 and You’re Uninsured. Now What?

By Renuka Rayasam February 2, 2026 KFF Health News Original

Many Americans are expected to lose ACA or Medicaid coverage in coming months and years as a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the expiration of enhanced pandemic-era subsidies that helped people afford Obamacare plans. Doctors and researchers say there are still ways to find affordable care.

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Readers Weigh Downsides of Medicare Advantage and Stick Up for Mary Lou Retton

January 29, 2024 KFF Health News Original

KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

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An Arm and a Leg: The Woman Who Beat an $8,000 Hospital Fee

By Dan Weissmann July 17, 2024 Podcast

In this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann speaks with Georgann Boatright, a patient in Mississippi who was willing to drive to another state to avoid paying a steep fee to her local hospital.

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A photo of a mother, father, and two children standing by a window.

She Received Chemo in Two States. Why Did It Cost So Much More in Alaska?

By Arielle Zionts September 29, 2023 KFF Health News Original

A breast cancer patient who received similar treatments in two states saw significant differences in cost, illuminating how care in remote areas can come with a stiffer price tag.

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A pregnant woman is at reception for doctor's office, signing a piece of paper.

Pay First, Deliver Later: Some Women Are Being Asked To Prepay for Their Baby

By Renuka Rayasam November 15, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Pregnant women are being asked to make large cash payments months before they deliver their babies. Some patient advocates worry this billing practice allows providers to hold treatment hostage.

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A photo of a mother holding her infant son while looking at medical bills.

A Mom’s $97,000 Question: How Was Her Baby’s Air-Ambulance Ride Not Medically Necessary?

By Molly Castle Work March 25, 2024 KFF Health News Original

There are legal safeguards to protect patients from big bills like out-of-network air-ambulance rides. But insurers may not pay if they decide the ride wasn’t medically necessary.

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A photo of a laptop screen on GoFundMe's medical fundraising webpage. Text on the screen reads, "Get help with medical fundraising."

GoFundMe Has Become a Health Care Utility

By Elisabeth Rosenthal February 12, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Resorting to crowdfunding to pay medical bills has become so routine, in some cases health professionals recommend it.

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What the Health? From KFF Health News: The Open Enrollment Mixing Bowl

October 19, 2023 Podcast

Open enrollment for Medicare beneficiaries with private health plans began Oct. 15, to be followed Nov. 1 by open enrollment for Affordable Care Act plans. The selection for both is large — often too large to be navigated easily alone. And people who choose incorrectly can end up with unaffordable medical bills. Meanwhile, those on both sides of the abortion issue are looking to Ohio’s November ballot measure on abortion to see whether anti-abortion forces can break their losing streak in statewide ballot questions since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

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What the Health? From KFF Health News: Newly Minted Doctors Are Avoiding Abortion Ban States

May 9, 2024 Podcast

For the second year in a row, medical school graduates across specialties are shying away from applying for residency training in states with abortion bans or significant restrictions, according to a new study. Meanwhile, Medicare’s trustees report that the program will be able to pay its bills longer than expected — which could discourage Congress from acting to address the program’s long-term financial woes. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins University schools of nursing and public health and Politico Magazine, and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

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Sign Here? Financial Agreements May Leave Doctors in the Driver’s Seat

By Katheryn Houghton April 30, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Agreeing to an out-of-network doctor’s own financial policy — which generally protects their ability to get paid and may be littered with confusing insurance and legal jargon — can create a binding contract that leaves a patient owing.

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What the Health? From KFF Health News: Debt Deal Leaves Health Programs (Mostly) Intact

June 7, 2023 Podcast

The bipartisan deal to extend the U.S. government’s borrowing authority includes future cuts to federal health agencies, but they are smaller than many expected and do not touch Medicare and Medicaid. Meanwhile, Merck & Co. becomes the first drugmaker to sue Medicare officials over the federal health insurance program’s new authority to negotiate drug prices. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News senior correspondent Sarah Jane Tribble, who reported the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature, about the perils of visiting the U.S. with European health insurance.

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What the Health? From KFF Health News: Dancing Under the Debt Ceiling

April 27, 2023 Podcast

House Republicans passed their plan to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, along with major cuts to health (and other domestic) programs. Unlikely to become law, it calls for new work requirements for adults on Medicaid. Meanwhile, state efforts targeting trans people bear a striking resemblance to the fight against abortion rights. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Renuka Rayasam, who reported the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature, about a specialist’s demand to be paid as much as $15,000 before treating a woman’s serious pregnancy complication.

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What One Expectant Mom’s Effort To Get an RSV Shot Says About Health Policy

By Elisabeth Rosenthal November 13, 2023 KFF Health News Original

Today we bring you the story of a patient seeking the RSV vaccine — and how her frustrating journey illustrates why it can be so hard in the United States to get an important medicine recommended by federal regulators. Hannah Fegley of Silver Spring, Md., says she spent seven hours on the phone last month […]

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What the Health? From KFF Health News: Biden Budget Touches All the Bases

March 10, 2023 Podcast

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 president’s policy priorities, and it’s 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 KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Harris Meyer, who reported and wrote the two latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” features. Both were about families facing unexpected bills following childbirth.

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‘Then the Bill Came’: Year 4 of KHN-NPR’s Bill of the Month Is a Wrap

December 25, 2021 KFF Health News Original

Our crowdsourced investigation of the high, confusing and arbitrary medical bills generated by our health system is set to begin its fifth year in 2022.

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