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The No Surprises Act Comes With Some Surprises

By Elisabeth Rosenthal February 14, 2024 KFF Health News Original

The No Surprises Act, the landmark law intended to protect patients from surprise out-of-network medical bills, has come with, well, some surprises. A little more than two years after it took effect, there’s good and bad news about how it’s working. First, it’s important to note that the law has successfully protected millions of patients […]

A Baby Spent 36 Days in an In-Network NICU. Why Did the Hospital Next Door Send a Bill?

By Harris Meyer January 30, 2023 KFF Health News Original

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 children’s hospital next door. Her parents were charged despite a state law protecting patients from such out-of-network billing — and sent to collections when they didn’t pay up.

What the Health? From KFF Health News: The Government Is Open

November 13, 2025 Podcast

The record-long federal shutdown is over after a small group of Democrats agreed to a deal with most Republicans that funds the government through January — but, notably, does not extend more generous Affordable Care Act tax credits. Plus, new details are emerging about how the Trump administration is using the Medicaid program to advance its policy goals. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Emmarie Huetteman to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Julie Appleby, who wrote the latest “Bill of the Month” feature.

As Insurance Prices Rise, Families Puzzle Over Options

By Lynn Arditi January 16, 2026 KFF Health News Original

Millions of middle-class Americans who have Affordable Care Act marketplace plans are facing soaring premium payments in 2026. Some people are contemplating big life changes to deal with new rates that kicked in on Jan. 1.

Scorpion Peppers Caused Him ‘Crippling’ Pain. Two Years Later, the ER Bill Stung Him Again.

By Elisabeth Rosenthal December 19, 2025 KFF Health News Original

Homemade hot sauce sent a Colorado man to the emergency room with what he called “the worst pain of my life.” But stomach cramps were only the beginning. Two years later, the bill came.

When a Quick Telehealth Visit Yields Multiple Surprises Beyond a Big Bill

By Darius Tahir December 19, 2023 KFF Health News Original

For the patient, it was a quick and inexpensive virtual appointment. Why it cost 10 times what she expected became a mystery.

Emergency Physicians Decry Surprise Air-Ambulance Bills

By Molly Castle Work March 27, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Emergency room doctors say insurers are increasingly declining to cover costly air-ambulance rides for critically ill patients, claiming they aren’t medically necessary. And the National Association of EMS Physicians says the No Surprises Act, enacted in 2022, is partly to blame. The law protects patients from many out-of-network medical bills by requiring insurers and providers […]

To Knock Down Health-System Hurdles Between You and HIV Prevention, Try These 6 Things

By Zach Dyer Illustrations by Oona Zenda January 5, 2026 KFF Health News Original

It’s been more than 10 years since the FDA first approved an HIV prevention drug. Today, people who could benefit from preexposure prophylaxis often struggle to access the lifesaving medicine or run into doctors without the education or empathy to offer affirming care. And those lapses can produce billing headaches.

Readers Call on Congress to Bolster Medicare and Fix Loopholes in Health Policy

February 29, 2024 KFF Health News Original

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

Medical Organizations Push Back On Anthem’s Out-Of-Network Policy

November 18, 2025 Morning Briefing

Anthem’s plan would punish hospitals and outpatient facilities for using out-of-network providers. Also in health industry news: Sutter Health announces plans for a California hospital; which hospitals will take the hardest hits from the Medicaid cuts; and more.

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.

Readers Take Congress to Task and Offer Their Own Health Policy Fixes

November 12, 2025 KFF Health News Original

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

Evidence Shows ACA’s Mandated Benefits Alone Don’t Drive Up Costs. The Debate Continues.

By Julie Appleby and Sarah Boden March 18, 2026 KFF Health News Original

The Affordable Care Act put in place a package of benefits that health insurance plans must cover. Critics contend this mandate has jacked up premiums. Evidence supporting that claim is mixed.

Your Doctor or Your Insurer? Little-Known Rules May Ease the Choice in Medicare Advantage

By Susan Jaffe March 29, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Disputes between hospitals and Medicare Advantage plans are leading to entire hospital systems suddenly leaving insurance networks. Patients are left stuck in the middle, choosing between their doctors and their insurance plan. There’s a way out.

She Had a Broken Arm, No Insurance — And a $97,000 Bill

By Katheryn Houghton September 24, 2025 KFF Health News Original

Deborah Buttgereit knew piecing together the broken bone in her elbow would be expensive. But complications the doctor deemed a surprise, midsurgery, drove the total bill tens of thousands of dollars above the original estimate.

In New York, Providers Must Put Patient Costs on the Table

By Michelle Andrews March 20, 2025 KFF Health News Original

The governor’s fiscal year 2026 budget revises a law designed to limit unexpected bills that can put people at risk for unfair medical billing practices and reduce medical debt. Consumer groups say it doesn’t go far enough.

Readers Scrutinize Federal Cuts and Medical Debt

May 12, 2025 KFF Health News Original

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

Toddler’s Backyard Snakebite Bills Totaled More Than a Quarter Million Dollars

By Jackie Fortiér October 30, 2024 KFF Health News Original

For snakebite victims, antivenom is critical — and costly. It took more than $200,000 worth of antivenom to save one toddler’s life after he was bitten by a rattlesnake.

What the Health? From KFF Health News: Arizona Turns Back the Clock on Abortion Access

April 11, 2024 Podcast

A week after the Florida Supreme Court said the state could enforce an abortion ban passed in 2023, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that state could enforce a near-total ban passed in 1864 — over a half-century before Arizona became a state. The move further scrambled the abortion issue for Republicans and posed an immediate quandary for former President Donald Trump, who has been seeking an elusive middle ground in the polarized debate. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Molly Castle Work, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature, about an air-ambulance ride for an infant with RSV that his insurer deemed not medically necessary.

Readers Balk at ‘Gold Standard’ of Autism Treatment

January 20, 2026 KFF Health News Original

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

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