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Dancing Under the Debt Ceiling

Episode 295

April 27, 2023

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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Bill of the Month

A Covid Test Costing More Than a Tesla? It Happened in Texas.

A patient from Dallas got a PCR test in a free-standing suburban emergency room. The out-of-network charge: $54,000.

By Aneri Pattani

Sept. 30, 2021

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

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?

By Rachana Pradhan

Aug. 2, 2021

Bill of the Month

Olympic Dream Dashed After Bike Crash and Nightmare Medical Bill Over $200K

A bicyclist from California competed in a Pennsylvania race that could have landed him in this month’s Tokyo Olympics. Instead, a crash on the velodrome track landed him in two hospitals where his out-of-state, out-of-network surgeries garnered huge bills.

By Samantha Young

July 29, 2021

A family stands together in a room painted dark blue.

Diagnosis: Debt

100 Million People in America Are Saddled With Health Care Debt

The U.S. health system now produces debt on a mass scale, a new investigation shows. Patients face gut-wrenching sacrifices.

By Noam N. Levey

June 16, 2022

Bill of the Month

Watch: Cyclist Hits Olympic-Size Medical Bills After Crash

KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal appears on "CBS This Morning" to discuss the latest installment of the KHN-NPR Bill of the Month investigative series.

July 31, 2021

What the Health? From KFF Health News

The ‘Unwinding’ of Medicaid

Episode 292

April 6, 2023

As of April 1, states were allowed to begin reevaluating Medicaid eligibility for millions of Americans who qualified for the program during the covid-19 pandemic but may no longer meet the income or other requirements. As many as 15 million people could lose health coverage as a result. Meanwhile, the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is projected to stay solvent until 2031, its trustees reported, taking some pressure off of lawmakers to finally fix that program’s underlying financial weaknesses. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Amy Goldstein of The Washington Post join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Daniel Chang, who reported the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature about a child not yet old enough for kindergarten whose medical bill landed him in collections.

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COVID-19

Officials Struggle to Regulate Pop-Up Covid Testing Sites — And Warn Patients to Beware

High demand for covid screening and scarce supply have opened the door to bad actors, and officials in some states are sounding the alarm about dubious street testing operators that could put people’s personal data, their health or wallets at risk.

By Michelle Andrews

Jan. 18, 2022

Becerra Says Surprise Billing Rules Force Doctors Who Overcharge to Accept Fair Prices

The Health and Human Services secretary says the administration has heard complaints from doctors and hospitals about the rules it unveiled for implementing the law to end surprise medical bills. But he says providers who have exploited a complicated system to charge exorbitant rates will have to bear their share of the cost — or close.

By Michael McAuliff

Nov. 22, 2021

Congressional Doctors Lead Bipartisan Revolt Over Policy on Surprise Medical Bills

Congress last year shielded consumers from unexpected out-of-network charges, but hospitals and doctors have decried the arbitration plan put forward by the Biden administration for negotiating these bills as favoring insurers. More than 150 members of the House agree.

By Michael McAuliff

Nov. 17, 2021

Still Cashing In

New Parents Slapped With Surprise Bills for Treating Newborns

Regular use of a more advanced screening method turns a low-cost procedure into a pricier one.

By Jay Hancock

Dec. 22, 2021

As Workers Struggle With Pandemic’s Impact, Employers Expand Mental Health Benefits

Many job-based health plans broadened their mental health and substance use coverage to make sure workers had the support they needed this year as pandemic stress lingered, the annual KFF survey finds. Also, the proportion of employers offering health insurance to their workers remained steady, and increases for premiums and out-of-pocket health expenses were moderate.

By Michelle Andrews

Nov. 10, 2021

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Year-End Bill Holds Big Health Changes

Episode 278

Jan. 5, 2023

The year-end spending bill passed by Congress in late December contains a wide array of health-related provisions, including a structure for states to begin to disenroll people on Medicaid whose coverage has been maintained through the pandemic. Meanwhile, the Biden administration is taking steps to make the abortion pill more widely available. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join KHN’s chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Mark Kreidler, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature about a billing mix-up that took about a year to sort out.

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After 18 Months, Sutter Antitrust Settlement Finally Poised for Formal Approval

A year and a half after Sutter Health agreed to a tentative settlement in a closely watched antitrust case, the San Francisco judge presiding over the case indicated she would sign off on the terms, pending agreement on another contentious issue: attorney fees.

By Jenny Gold

July 22, 2021

Medicare Plans’ ‘Free’ Dental, Vision, Hearing Benefits Come at a Cost

The ads for supplemental Medicare Advantage plans describe vision and dental benefits, even grocery discounts and food deliveries. But look at the fine print.

By Phil Galewitz

Oct. 27, 2021

As Overdose Deaths Soar, DEA-Wary Pharmacies Shy From Dispensing Addiction Medication

A West Virginia pharmacy cleared a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation. But it shut down anyway, highlighting how the agency’s policies reduce the availability of buprenorphine, an important tool for recovery from opioid addiction.

By Aneri Pattani

Nov. 9, 2021

New Health Plans Offer Twists on Existing Options, With a Dose of ‘Buyer Beware’

Fueled by consumer frustration with high premiums and deductibles, two new offerings promise a means for consumers to take control of their health care costs. But experts say they pose risks.

By Julie Appleby

Nov. 4, 2021

Bill of the Month

After Accident, Patient Crashes Into $700,000 Bill for Spine Surgery

Generous personal injury coverage on your car policy may not be enough to cover medical bills. Patients can get financially blindsided when auto insurance and health insurance policies differ.

By Julie Appleby

April 22, 2021

Hospital Prices Must Now Be Transparent. For Many Consumers, They’re Still Anyone’s Guess.

A Trump administration rule mandating that hospitals disclose true prices on their websites took effect this year. But compliance is spotty and even when the data is public, it’s hard to find and understand.

By Julie Appleby

July 2, 2021