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Adventist, Blue Shield Contract Talks May Affect Many Californians

December 11, 2023 Morning Briefing

Contract negotiations between Adventist Health and Blue Shield of California fell through last week, and now the San Francisco Chronicle is warning thousands of Californians may have to pay out-of-network medical costs at their nearest hospital.

Instead of Selling, Some Rural Hospitals Band Together To Survive

By Arielle Zionts September 9, 2025 KFF Health News Original

Independent and rural hospitals are collaborating with their neighbors to shore up their finances instead of joining larger health systems to stay afloat.

Even When IVF Is Covered by Insurance, High Bills and Hassles Abound

By Phil Galewitz Illustration by Oona Zenda May 4, 2022 KFF Health News Original

Only 15 states require insurance to cover in vitro fertilization, a common path to parenthood for people who have trouble getting pregnant. And even for those whose insurance covers IVF, the expensive procedures and required drugs can lead to unexpected bills.

Biden’s Blanket Statement — ‘No More Surprise Billing’ — Doesn’t Quite Cover It

By Victoria Knight March 1, 2022 KFF Health News Original

The president used broad language to say that Americans no longer needed to worry about surprise bills, but there are exceptions to the new law that could cost unsuspecting consumers.

Even Well-Intended Laws Can’t Protect Us From Inaccurate Provider Directories

By Bernard J. Wolfson July 26, 2022 KFF Health News Original

State and federal laws require health plans to offer accurate lists of participating doctors and facilities, but consumers still struggle to get timely appointments with providers.

What Mobile Clinics in Dollar General Parking Lots Say About Health Care in Rural America

By Sarah Jane Tribble October 4, 2023 KFF Health News Original

Dollar General’s pilot mobile clinic program has been touted by company officials, rural health experts, and analysts as a model that could help solve rural America’s primary care shortage. But its Tennessee launch has been met with local skepticism.

How to Avoid Surprise Bills — And the Pitfalls in the New Law

By Dan Weissmann March 16, 2022 KFF Health News Original

The No Surprises Act offers protection from many surprise medical bills — but that protection may be only as good as a patient’s knowledge of the law and ability to make sure it’s enforced. Here’s what you need to know.

Want a Clue on Health Care Costs in Advance? New Tools Take a Crack at It

By Julie Appleby January 3, 2023 KFF Health News Original

Another effort to make upfront cost comparisons possible in an industry known for its opaqueness: an online tool for consumers to get some idea of what they may pay for medical care.

Era of ‘Free’ Covid Vaccines, Test Kits, and Treatments Is Ending. Who Will Pay the Tab Now?

By Julie Appleby February 10, 2023 KFF Health News Original

Insurers, employers, and taxpayers will all be affected as drug manufacturers move these products to the commercial market.

ER’s Error Lands a 4-Year-Old in Collections (For Care He Didn’t Receive)

By Daniel Chang March 29, 2023 KFF Health News Original

A Florida woman tried to dispute an emergency room bill, but the hospital and collection agency refused to talk to her — because it was her child’s name on the bill, not hers.

At Urgent Care, He Got 5 Stitches and a Big Surprise: A Plastic Surgeon’s Bill for $1,040

By Rachana Pradhan August 2, 2021 KFF Health News Original

The Biden administration is weighing how to treat urgent care clinics as part of broad regulations banning surprise, out-of-network medical bills. At the heart of the matter: What counts as an emergency?

When Hospitals Ditch Medicare Advantage Plans, Thousands of Members Get To Leave, Too

By Susan Jaffe April 28, 2025 KFF Health News Original

Breakups between health providers and Advantage plans are increasingly common. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has allowed whole groups of patients to leave their plans.

After Tuition, Books, and Room and Board, Colleges’ Rising Health Fees Hit a Nerve

By Phil Galewitz December 19, 2022 KFF Health News Original

Many colleges require students to have health insurance coverage, and the college option can be costly. In addition, some schools mandate that students pay a fee to cover health services on campus.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Underinsured Is the New Uninsured

September 14, 2023 Podcast

The percentage of working-age adults with health insurance went up and the uninsured rate dropped last year, the U.S. Census Bureau reported this week. There isn’t much suspense about which way the uninsured rate is now trending, as states continue efforts to strip ineligible beneficiaries from their Medicaid rolls. But is the focus on the uninsured obscuring the struggles of the underinsured? Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join KFF Health News’ Emmarie Huetteman to discuss these issues and more.

States Step In as Telehealth and Clinic Patients Get Blindsided by Hospital Fees

By Markian Hawryluk April 3, 2023 KFF Health News Original

At least eight states have implemented or are considering limits on what patients can be billed for the use of a hospital’s facilities even without having stepped foot in the building.

As the Trump Administration and States Push Health Data Sharing, Familiar Challenges Surface

By Sarah Kwon September 23, 2025 KFF Health News Original

Despite billions of tax dollars and two decades of effort invested in improving health care data sharing, Americans’ medical records often remain siloed, leading to duplicate testing, increased costs, and wasted time for patients and doctors.

How to Get Rid of Medical Debt — Or Avoid It in the First Place

By Yuki Noguchi, NPR News July 1, 2022 KFF Health News Original

Medical bills can add stress to the already stressful experience of dealing with a medical crisis. And if you can’t pay those bills, they can linger, wreaking havoc on your financial goals and credit. Here’s how to protect yourself.

California Author Uses Dark Humor — And a Bear — To Highlight Flawed Health System

By Rachel Scheier January 31, 2023 KFF Health News Original

A new graphic novel by Kathleen Founds follows an angst-ridden bear on his quest for mental health treatment. Founds drew on her own experience with bipolar disorder.

The Ambulance Chased One Patient Into Collections

By Bram Sable-Smith July 27, 2022 KFF Health News Original

After a car wreck, three siblings were transported to the same hospital by ambulances from three separate districts. The sibling with the most minor injuries got the biggest bill.

An $80,000 Tab for Newborns Lays Out a Loophole in the New Law to Curb Surprise Bills

By Jay Hancock Photos by Heidi de Marco February 23, 2022 KFF Health News Original

The insurance company said that the birth of the Bull family’s twins was not an emergency and that NICU care was “not medically necessary.” The family’s experience with a huge bill sent to collections happened in 2020, but it exposes a hole in the new No Surprises law that took effect Jan. 1.

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