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News Articles: health care costs

Marcus and Allyson Ward were paying off a debt dating back to the birth of their twins, Theo and Milo. They are among 100 million Americans with medical debt, according to a KHN/NPR investigation.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Medical debt affects millions, and advocates push IRS, consumer agency for relief

More than 50 consumer and patient groups want the Biden Administration to aggressively protect Americans from medical bills and debt collectors. The effort follows a KHN/NPR investigation.

March 07, 2023
|
By:
  • Noam Levey
Diagnosing and treating patients was once an ER doctor's domain, but they are increasingly being replaced by health practitioners who can perform many of the same duties and generate much the same revenue for less than half the pay.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

ERs staffed by private equity firms aim to cut costs by hiring fewer doctors

Increasingly, private equity firms shape staffing decisions at hospital emergency rooms, research shows. One apparent effect: Hiring fewer doctors and more health care practitioners who earn far less.

February 13, 2023
|
By:
  • Brett Kelman and
  • Blake Farmer
President Joe Biden spoke about his administration's plans to protect Medicare and lower health care costs, Thursday, the same day his administration released draft guidance of Medicare's new plan to regulate drug prices.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Medicare announces plan to recoup billions from drug companies

Drugmakers will be required to pay Medicare back for price increases that outpace inflation. The industry is expected to put up a fight over implementation.

February 09, 2023
|
By:
  • Leslie Walker and
  • Dan Gorenstein
The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square hotel hosted this year's JPMorgan Healthcare Conference — the first since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. (Darius Tahir/KHN)

Tagged as: 

  • Health

At buzzy health care business conference, investors fear the bubble will burst

JPMorgan's cheery confab returned to San Francisco, but the health care capitalists had economic anxiety, too.

January 20, 2023
|
By:
  • Darius Tahir
Dani Yuengling of Conway, South Carolina, knew she had to follow up after a mammogram found a lump. Her mom had died of breast cancer. But she had no idea how expensive the biopsy would be.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

An $18,000 biopsy? Paying cash might have been cheaper than using her insurance

A hospital's cost calculator said her procedure would be $1,400 for patients without insurance. Instead, the bill was almost $18,000 and, her part was more than $5,000 — the balance of her deductible.

August 23, 2022
|
By:
  • Lauren Sausser

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Sick and struggling to pay, 100 million people in the U.S. live with medical debt

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

June 16, 2022
|
By:
  • Noam Levey
Baby Dorian Bennett arrived two months early and needed neonatal intensive care. Despite having insurance, mom Bisi Bennett and her husband faced a bill of more than $550,000 and were offered an installment payment plan of $45,843 per month for 12 months.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

A hospital offered a payment plan for baby's NICU stay — $45,843 a month for a year

After baby Dorian Bennett arrived two months early and spent more than 50 days in the neonatal ICU, his parents received a bill of more than $550,000 — despite having health insurance.

December 22, 2021
|
By:
  • Victoria Knight
Hofstra University student Divya Singh found herself beset by a double whammy of bills from two of the costliest kinds of institutions in America — colleges and hospitals. After experiencing anxiety when her family had trouble coming up with the money for her tuition, she sought counseling and ended up with a weeklong stay in a psychiatric hospital — and a resulting $3,413 bill.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

College Tuition Sparked A Mental Health Crisis. Then The Hefty Hospital Bill Arrived

A student sought counseling help after panicking over a tuition bill. A weeklong stay in a psychiatric hospital followed — along with a $3,413 bill. The hospital soft-pedaled its charity care policy.

February 26, 2021
|
By:
  • Jordan Rau
One rule announced by the Trump administration Friday puts pressure on hospitals to reveal what they charge insurers for procedures and services. Critics say the penalty for not following the rule isn't stiff enough to be a an effective deterrent.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

The New Year Will Bring More Transparency In Hospital Prices

A new federal health care rule requires hospitals to publicly post prices for every service they offer and break down those prices by component and procedure.

January 02, 2021
|
By:
  • Scott Simon
Health care costs — including for things such as an insulin kit, for instance — can be catastrophically high for millions of Americans, even those with health insurance, a study finds.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Despite ACA Coverage Gains, Millions Still Suffer 'Catastrophic' Health Care Costs

The president-elect has vowed to strengthen the Affordable Care Act, which gave millions of Americans health insurance. But many insured people still struggle to pay for health care, research finds.

November 12, 2020
|
By:
  • Kristen Kendrick
When Tiffany Qiu found herself on the hook for her usual 30% Blue Shield of California coinsurance after the hospital quoted 20%, she pushed back.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Hit With An Unexpectedly High Medical Bill, Here's How A Savvy Patient Fought Back

When the hospital tried to bill her for more than what she'd been quoted, Tiffany Qiu refused to pay the extra amount and the bill went to collections. She still didn't back down.

October 27, 2020
|
By:
  • Anna Almendrala
Matthew Fentress was diagnosed with heart disease that developed after a bout of the flu in 2014. His condition worsened three years later, and he had to declare bankruptcy when he couldn't afford his medical bills, despite having insurance.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Heart Disease Bankrupted Him Once. Now He Faces Another $10,000 Medical Bill

A cook at a senior center, Matthew Fentress is one of millions of Americans whose skimpy health insurance plans leave them vulnerable to huge out-of-pocket costs when they get sick.

September 26, 2020
|
By:
  • Laura Ungar
Biomarin Pharmaceutical, a California company that makes what could become the first gene therapy for hemophilia, says its drug's price tag might be $3 million per patient.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Gene Therapy Shows Promise For Hemophilia, But Could Be Most Expensive U.S. Drug Ever

The first gene therapy for hemophilia could be approved by the FDA within six months, according to the drugmaker, raising hopes among families. But the drug's price could be $3 million per patient.

July 20, 2020
|
By:
  • Rob Stein

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