Trump Zeroes In On Surprise Medical Bills In White House Chat With Patients, Experts
By Emmarie Huetteman
January 23, 2019
KFF Health News Original
Patients and doctors got a chance to share their nightmarish experiences with medical bills with President Donald Trump and other top White House officials.
More Patients Are Getting Hit With Surprise Medical Bills, And The Price Tags Are Going Up, Too
August 13, 2019
Morning Briefing
A study finds that over 42% of patients hospitalized or treated in an emergency room received surprise bills in 2016. “Out-of-network billing appears to have become common for privately insured patients even when they seek treatment at in-network hospitals,” the researchers concluded. As the costs of health care continue to grow for many Americans, two former collection agency executives are trying to make a dent by forgiving medical debt.
‘Is This When I Drop Dead?’ Two Doctors Report From the COVID Front Lines
By Danielle Renwick, The Guardian
August 14, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Two emergency room doctors, one in New York and the other in Houston, discuss their cities’ coronavirus outbreaks — and responses.
For COVID Tests, the Question of Who Pays Comes Down to Interpretation
By Julie Appleby
July 20, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Additional guidance issued late last month by the Trump administration added to the confusion. Some consumers may find themselves unexpectedly on the hook for the cost of a test.
Better Than Other Plans Or Better Than Nothing? Trump’s Claim About ‘Affordable’ Options
By Julie Appleby
February 11, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Caveat emptor. Some of these health insurance plans might prove helpful for some people, but making that determination is not easy.
When A Doctor No Longer Accepts Medicare, Patients Left Holding The Bag
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
June 9, 2020
KFF Health News Original
As doctors look for alternative ways to charge patients for care, some Medicare enrollees may lose access to their physicians.
The Challenges Of Keeping Young Adults Safe During The Pandemic
By Bernard J. Wolfson
April 29, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Even while playing the role of quarantine enforcer for your teens and 20-somethings, recognize that they are as anxious and worried as you are — and with good reason.
Tampons, Pads And Politics Mesh In New Push For Access To Menstrual Supplies
By Kate Ruder
March 12, 2020
KFF Health News Original
As a national movement for better access to menstrual products gains steam, “period equity” activists in Colorado are finding the path to change isn’t straight. Although Denver last summer repealed sales taxes on menstrual products and the state now requires supplies to be provided in prisons, an effort to repeal the statewide sales tax on the products failed. So, activists assemble supply kits to donate to those who need them.
California AG Seeks More Power To Battle Merger-Hungry Health Care Chains
By Rachel Bluth
June 2, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Xavier Becerra has made battling health care consolidation a priority since he became attorney general. Now that COVID-19 threatens vulnerable health care practices, he’s pushing to expand his authority to slow health care mergers.
A Jolt To The Jugular! You’re Insured But Still Owe $109K For Your Heart Attack
By Chad Terhune
August 27, 2018
KFF Health News Original
A Texas teacher, 44, faces a “balance bill” of almost twice his annual salary for a heart attack he never expected to have.
For Seniors, COVID-19 Sets Off A Pandemic Of Despair
By Judith Graham
May 28, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The guidance to stay sheltered as society slowly reopens wears on older Americans, who have a growing sense of isolation and depression.
In Fine Print, HHS Appears To Ban All Surprise Billing During The Pandemic
By Emmarie Huetteman
April 17, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Language in the CARES Act says providers who take emergency funding cannot balance-bill coronavirus patients ― and “every patient” is considered a possible COVID-19 patient.
COVID Catch-22: They Got A Big ER Bill Because Hospitals Couldn’t Test For Virus
By Julie Appleby
July 7, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Americans who had coronavirus symptoms in March and April are getting big hospital bills — because they were not sick enough to get then-scarce COVID tests. Some insurers say they are trying to correct these bills, but patients may have to put up a fight.
Promises Kept? On Health Care, Trump’s Claims of ‘Monumental Steps’ Don’t Add Up
By Julie Rovner and Phil Galewitz
September 28, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The president entered office seeking to overturn the Affordable Care Act, revamp Medicaid and drive down prescription drug prices, among other things. He’s hit some stone walls.
The $109K Heart Attack Bill Is Down To $332. What About Other Surprise Bills?
By Chad Terhune
August 31, 2018
KFF Health News Original
“I don’t feel any consumer should have to go through this,” says Drew Calver, who faced a life-changing surprise bill from an Austin hospital after a heart attack last year. After attention as a “Bill of the Month” patient, he paid the hospital $332. But he worries about other patients with surprise bills.
Avoiding Care During the Pandemic Could Mean Life or Death
By John M. Glionna
July 31, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Americans are avoiding hospitals and clinics by the millions, even when they shouldn’t, and many experts expect a jump in preventable disease diagnoses after the COVID crisis eases. Paradoxically, the pandemic may have been good for some heart patients, however.
How The Pandemic And An Anti-Vax Health Official Are Roiling A Montana Community
By Kathleen McLaughlin
May 7, 2020
KFF Health News Original
In one conservative pocket of Montana, a local health board member who opposes vaccinations helped fight the state’s stay-at-home rules. But now, as the state slowly reopens, she faces a backlash of her own.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
By Brianna Labuskes
February 14, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
‘Warm’ Hotlines Deliver Help Before Mental Health Crisis Heats Up
By Stephanie Stephens
December 9, 2019
KFF Health News Original
“Warmlines” are phone lines or electronic chat options for people who are not having a full-blown mental health crisis but who could use support to stave off one. They are a growing trend in mental health outreach to supplement existing hotlines, with one successful warmline in the Bay Area recently expanding to cover all of California.
Take A Deep Breath: Making Risk-Based Decisions In The Coronavirus Era
By Julie Appleby
March 18, 2020
KFF Health News Original
There’s an array of recommendations about how to adjust our lives to reduce the spread of the novel virus. All are motivated by the same guiding principle: The better the public does in these efforts, the better off everyone will be.