Bill of the Month
KFF Health News, in collaboration with The Washington Post, examines and decodes your perplexing medical bills.
Investigations
Priced Out
America’s Health Insurance Crisis
Common Ground
Americans are split over many issues, but helping people with cancer and other serious illnesses retains broad bipartisan support.
381 - 400 of 450 Results
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VCU Health Will Halt Patient Lawsuits, Boost Aid In Wake Of KHN Investigation
Patients at VCU Health will no longer be taken to court and can more easily get financial assistance to pay their bills.
By Jay Hancock and Elizabeth Lucas -
Her Biopsy Report Was Benign. But The Bill Is A Spot Of Contention.
After a test to rule out cancer, Brianna Snitchler faced a $2,170 facility fee for the hospital’s radiology room used that day.
By Cara Anthony -
Which Was Worse: The Bachelor Party Hangover Or The Hangover From The ER Bill?
One groom’s bachelor party hangover illustrates how emergency room bills have become major headaches for many Americans.
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UVA To Cut Back On Lawsuits Against Patients
But critics say the new policy still leaves some patients exposed to lawsuits and crippling bills.
By Jay Hancock and Elizabeth Lucas -
UVA Suspends Medical Lawsuits In Wake Of KHN Investigation
KHN reported this week that the University of Virginia Health System has filed 36,000 lawsuits against patients the past six years.
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Virginia Governor And UVA Vow To Revamp Practice Of Suing Patients As CEO Exits
A Kaiser Health News investigation, which first appeared in The Washington Post, showed that the University of Virginia Health System has sued patients 36,000 times for more than $106 million.
By Jay Hancock and Elizabeth Lucas -
‘UVA Has Ruined Us’: Health System Sues Thousands Of Patients, Seizing Paychecks And Claiming Homes
Over six years, the state institution filed 36,000 lawsuits against patients seeking a total of more than $106 million in unpaid bills, a KHN analysis finds.
By Jay Hancock and Elizabeth Lucas -
They Got Estimates Before Surgery — And A Bill After That Was 50% More
Patients are often told to be smart consumers and shop around for health care before they use it. What happens when people actually take that advice?
By Rachel Bluth -
Infusion Treatments — Needed or Not — Can Deplete Patients’ Wallets
When it comes to physician-administered infusion drugs, doctors sometimes have a financial reason for their choice and patients often aren’t aware of cheaper options.
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They May Owe Nothing — Half-Million-Dollar Dialysis Bill Canceled
After reporting by KHN, NPR and CBS, Fresenius has agreed to waive a Montana man’s huge bill for out-of-network dialysis care.
By Jenny Gold -
FDA Ends Months-Long FOIA Battle Over Medical Device Failures, Says Putting Database Online ‘Satisfies’ KHN Request
KHN filed multiple Freedom of Information Act requests over months, and the FDA responded Wednesday saying the data about device malfunctions is now publicly available online.
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Surgeons’ Opioid-Prescribing Habits Are Hard To Kick
A new data analysis by KHN and Johns Hopkins researchers shows that even as the CDC issued warnings, surgeons handed out many times the number of opioid pills needed for post-op pain.
By Julie Appleby and Elizabeth Lucas -
Opioid Operators: How Surgeons Ply Patients With Painkillers
Even as awareness of the opioid crisis grew, prescribing habits of surgeons changed very little from 2011 to 2016, found a data analysis by KHN and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Use this interactive tool to search by doctor or practicing hospital.
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Illinois Clamps Down On Nursing Homes In Wake Of KHN-Chicago Tribune Investigation
In reaction to an investigation by Kaiser Health News and the Chicago Tribune, the Illinois legislature has passed a new law to impose fines on nursing homes that fail to meet minimum staffing requirements.
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Lethal Plans: When Seniors Turn To Suicide In Long-Term Care
In a nation where the suicide rate continues to climb, such deaths among older adults are often overlooked. A six-month investigation by KHN and PBS NewsHour finds that older Americans are quietly killing themselves in nursing homes, assisted living centers and adult care homes.
By Melissa Bailey and JoNel Aleccia -
Death By 1,000 Clicks: Where Electronic Health Records Went Wrong
The U.S. government claimed that turning American medical charts into electronic records would make health care better, safer and cheaper. Ten years and $36 billion later, the system is an unholy mess. Inside a digital revolution that took a bad turn.
By Fred Schulte and Erika Fry, Fortune -
Hidden FDA Reports Detail Harm Caused By Scores Of Medical Devices
The Food and Drug Administration has let medical device companies file reports of injuries and malfunctions outside a widely scrutinized public database, leaving doctors and medical sleuths in the dark.
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The Promise Of Youth, The Reality Of Aging
Patients Experiment With Prescription Drugs To Fight Aging
Doctors and patients say they’re compelled to use off-label meds as research goes unfunded.
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Big Pharma Gave Money To Patient Advocacy Groups Opposing Medicare Changes
A KHN database shows that $58 million flowed from drugmakers to patient groups running national ads.
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Tainted Drugs
When Medicine Makes Patients Sicker
The Food and Drug Administration is supposed to inspect all factories, foreign and domestic, that produce drugs for the U.S. market. But a KHN review of thousands of FDA documents — inspection records, recalls, warning letters and lawsuits — reveals how drugs that are poorly manufactured or contaminated can reach consumers.