An Anesthesiology Practice鈥檚 Busy Day in Court Collecting on Surprise Bills
Legislative crackdowns on out-of-network bills haven鈥檛 kept specialists from hitting patients with unexpected charges running into thousands of dollars.
All Coverage
-
-
Rural Communities Left Hurting Without a Hospital, Ambulance or Doctors Nearby
Rural areas such as Echols County, Georgia, have high levels of uninsured people and profound physician shortages that compound the lack of health care options, especially in the 12 states that have not expanded Medicaid.
-
Watch: One City’s Effort to Raise Vaccination Rates Among Black Residents
In Hartford, Connecticut, public health leaders engage barbers and faith leaders to combat vaccine skepticism in the Black community.
-
Record Number of Americans Sign Up for ACA Health Insurance
Nearly 14 million Americans have enrolled in Affordable Care Act marketplace health plans for next year 鈥 a record since the health law鈥檚 coverage expansion took effect in 2014. A boost in subsidies marketing and assistance in navigating the process increased the rolls of the insured.
-
KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Manchin Blows Up Biden鈥檚 鈥楤uild Back Better鈥
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) dealt a blow to congressional efforts to pass President Joe Biden鈥檚 domestic agenda bill, forcing Democrats to regroup starting in 2022. Meanwhile, the omicron covid variant spreads rapidly in the U.S., threatening the stability of the nation鈥檚 health care system. Joanne Kenen of Politico and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Rachel Cohrs of Stat and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more, plus a look back at the year in health policy. Also this week, Rovner interviews Ceci Connolly, president and CEO of the Alliance of Community Health Plans.
-
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.
-
Postcard From Utah
As Pandemic Wears Down Hospital Staff, One Town Offers Groceries to Say Thanks
To help relieve the stress and time strains on employees at a Park City, Utah, hospital, community leaders created a pop-up grocery store, where workers can get complimentary meals and staples to take home.
-
Layers of Subcontracted Services Confuse and Frustrate Medi-Cal Patients
Many of the 14 million patients in Medi-Cal are in managed care health plans that outsource their care to subcontractors or sub-subcontractors. For patients with difficult health care needs, it can be hard to know where to turn.
-
鈥楢n Arm and a Leg鈥: The Rapid-Test Edition: Who’s Making a Buck?
In this episode, host Dan Weissmann talks to reporters who investigated the shortage of tests and traced the U.S. rapid-testing problem back to government agencies.
-
NICU Bill Installment Plan: That鈥檒l Be $45,843 a Month for 12 Months, Please
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 鈥 despite having insurance. The Florida hospital had a not-so-helpful suggestion: monthly payments of more than $45,000 for a year.
-
Crash Course: Injured Patients Who Sign 鈥楲etters of Protection鈥 May Face Huge Medical Bills and Risks
The letters function as liens that 鈥減rotect鈥 spine surgery clinics while patients could be left with inflated medical bills and unexpected health risks.
-
Pandemic Poses Short- and Long-Term Risks to Babies, Especially Boys
A mother鈥檚 immune response to covid can be a greater danger to the fetus than the virus itself.
-
Covered California鈥檚 Insurance Deals Range From 鈥楴o-Brainer鈥 to Sticker Shock
Families of four with incomes of less than about $40,000 a year can pay no premiums and have low deductibles. For some others, health insurance in 2022 will cost more than in 2021 鈥 in some cases, significantly more.
-
Some Groups Are Left Out of Montana Covid Test Giveaway Program
Public health officials and policymakers alike see rapid antigen tests as a strong tool to keep businesses open and parents working. But a look at Montana鈥檚 distribution of the tests shows a patchwork system with limited access for many.
-
Local Pharmacists Fill Rx Void as Big Brands Pull Out of Rural Areas
Stores like Walmart and Shopko opened pharmacies in small towns, either buying out the local pharmacy or driving it out of business. What happens when those chains later withdraw, leaving communities with no pharmacy?
-
Vaccine Promoters Struggle to Get People Boosted in California鈥檚 Fields
Stressed vaccine communicators battle anti-vaccine propaganda while seeking to persuade Latino farmworkers to get covid boosters.
-
2021 COVID Year in Review
The Vaccine Rollout Was a Success. But Events Within and Beyond Biden鈥檚 Control Stymied Progress.
There were variants, vaccine hesitancy and messaging mix-ups. And, despite campaign promises, Biden and his administration sometimes took actions or made statements without waiting for full scientific evidence to back them up.
-
Journalists Review Public Views on Vaccines and the Arc of Covid Testing
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here鈥檚 a collection of their appearances.
-
As Hospitals Fill Up, Paramedics Spend More Time Moving Patients, Less on Emergencies
Gunnison paramedics cover the largest response zone in Colorado. Because of covid and the lack of nearby hospital beds, patients increasingly are transported long distances, leaving few ambulances to respond to emergencies.
-
Seeking Refills: Aging Pharmacists Leave Drugstores Vacant in Rural America
Independent pharmacists who want to retire often have trouble attracting new pharmacists to take over their practices, particularly in rural areas. That can cause smaller towns to lose their pharmacies. With many pharmacists near retirement, the problem may only get worse.
