Bill of the Month
麻豆女优 Health News, in collaboration with The Washington Post, examines and decodes your perplexing medical bills.
Investigations
Priced Out
America鈥檚 health insurance crisis
Deadly Denials
Prior authorization has become a confusing maze that denies or delays care, burdens physicians with paperwork, and perpetuates racial disparities.
121 - 140 of 417 Results
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When That Supposedly Free Annual Physical Generates a Bill
Completing a routine depression screening questionnaire during an annual checkup is cost-free under federal law. But, as one woman discovered, answering a doctor鈥檚 follow-up questions might not be.
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Smaller Employers Weigh a Big-Company Fix for Scarce Primary Care: Their Own Clinics
Company health clinics are most common at large workplaces, but some small employers say they see advantages, too: healthier workers, lower costs, and better access to primary care.
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Using Opioid Settlement Cash for Police Gear Like Squad Cars and Scanners Sparks Debate
State and local governments will receive a windfall of more than $50 billion over 18 years from settlements with companies that made, sold, or distributed opioid painkillers. Using the funds for law enforcement has triggered important questions about what the money was meant for.
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Senators Demand Answers From Social Security on Clawbacks Tied to Covid Relief
Covid relief payments weren鈥檛 supposed to cost people their Social Security benefits, but some recipients say they did. Senators want to know why.
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Under Fire, Social Security Chief Vows 鈥楾op-to-Bottom鈥 Review of Payment Clawbacks
Acting Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi was pressed by a House Ways and Means subcommittee to explain why so many poor, disabled, or retired people are suddenly hit with demands that can reach tens of thousands of dollars or more.
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Covid Relief Payments Triggered Feds to Demand Money Back From Social Security Recipients
Some Social Security beneficiaries say the government is clawing back benefits after they received covid stimulus payments that were supposed to be exempt from asset limits.
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House Panel to Hold Hearing on Erroneous Social Security Payments
Congress is beginning to take action on the Social Security Administration鈥檚 clawbacks of payments it mistakenly made to poor, retired, and disabled Americans.
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Thousands Got Exactech Knee or Hip Replacements. Then, Patients Say, the Parts Began to Fail.
In a torrent of lawsuits, patients accuse Florida device maker Exactech of hiding knee and hip implant defects for years. The company denies the allegations.
By Fred Schulte -
鈥業鈥檓 So Burned Out鈥: Fighting to See a Specialist Amplified Pain for Riverside County Woman
Teresa Johnson has been in extreme pain for more than a year after what she believes was a severe allergic reaction to iodine. Her Medi-Cal plan approved her referral to a specialist, but it took her numerous phone calls, multiple complaints, and several months to book an appointment.
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Social Security Chief Orders Broad Review of Benefit Overpayments聽
In the wake of an investigation by 麻豆女优 Health News and Cox Media Group, the聽SSA acting commissioner said a special team will聽review 鈥渙verpayment policies and procedures鈥 and report directly back to her.
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What Mobile Clinics in Dollar General Parking Lots Say About Health Care in Rural America
Dollar General鈥檚 pilot mobile clinic program has been touted by company officials, rural health experts, and analysts as a model that could help solve rural America鈥檚 primary care shortage. But its Tennessee launch has been met with local skepticism.
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She Received Chemo in Two States. Why Did It Cost So Much More in Alaska?
A breast cancer patient who received similar treatments in two states saw significant differences in cost, illuminating how care in remote areas can come with a stiffer price tag.
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Social Security Overpayments Draw Scrutiny and Outrage From Members of Congress
Lawmakers are faulting the Social Security Administration for issuing billions of dollars of payments that beneficiaries weren鈥檛 entitled to receive 鈥 and then demanding the money back 鈥 in the wake of an investigation by 麻豆女优 Health News and Cox Media Group.
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Biden Administration to Ban Medical Debt From Americans鈥 Credit Scores
The White House said the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will develop new regulations that would prevent unpaid medical bills from being counted on credit reports.
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With Its Two Doctors Planning to Retire, an Alabama Town Patches Together Health Care Options
LaFayette and other rural areas of the country tend to have high rates of health problems but not enough doctors. Many are adapting by investing in nontraditional prevention and treatment options.
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Social Security Overpays Billions to People, Many on Disability. Then It Demands the Money Back.
Beneficiaries in five states described what happened when they received letters calling on them to return overpayments that can reach tens of thousands of dollars or more.
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A Father Dreamed of a Home for His Family. Medical Debt Nearly Pushed Them Onto the Streets.
As cities like Denver struggle to make homes more affordable, medical debt keeps housing out of reach for millions of Americans.
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She Paid Her Husband鈥檚 Hospital Bill. A Year After His Death, They Wanted More Money.
A widow encountered a perplexing reality in medical billing: Providers can come after patients to collect well after a bill has been paid.
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Funyuns and Flu Shots? Gas Station Company Ventures Into Urgent Care
A Tulsa-based gas station chain is using its knowledge of how to serve customers and locate shops in easy-to-find spots to enter the urgent care industry, which has doubled in size over the past decade. Experts question how the explosion of convenient clinics will affect care costs and wait times.
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North Carolina Hospitals Have Sued Thousands of Their Patients, a New Report Finds
An analysis of court records by the state treasurer and Duke researchers finds Atrium Health, originally a public hospital system, accounted for almost a third of the legal actions against North Carolina patients over roughly five years.