A Progress Check on Hospital Price Transparency
Hospitals are facing mixed reviews regarding their efforts to comply with a federal requirement that they post information about prices related to nearly every health care service they provide.
Health Care Costs
741 - 760 of 1,848 Results
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ER鈥檚 Error Lands a 4-Year-Old in Collections (For Care He Didn鈥檛 Receive)
A Florida woman tried to dispute an emergency room bill, but the hospital and collection agency refused to talk to her 鈥 because it was her child鈥檚 name on the bill, not hers.
By Daniel Chang -
Truly Random Drug Testing: ADHD Patients Face Uneven Urine Screens and, Sometimes, Stigma
Doctors have no national standards on when to order urine tests to check whether adult ADHD patients are properly taking their prescription stimulants. Some patients are subjected to much more frequent testing than others.
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Journalists Delve Into Insulin Costs and Prior Authorization Policy
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.
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Health Providers Scramble to Keep Remaining Staff Amid Medicaid Rate Debate
The ranks of community-based behavioral health providers in Montana have diminished amid rising costs, greater need, and stagnant Medicaid reimbursement rates. Now, as state lawmakers debate solutions, providers are hoping just to cover their costs.
By Keely Larson -
Sen. Sanders Shows Fire, but Seeks Modest Goals, in His Debut Drug Hearing as Health Chair
The Vermont independent and former presidential candidate was all fire and brimstone at his first hearing on drug prices as head of the Senate HELP Committee. He also pursued a more modest goal of covid vaccine price reductions. It isn鈥檛 clear whether Sanders will succeed in even that, but he has put affordability front and center.
By Arthur Allen -
KHN Impact
Legal Questions, Inquiries Intensify Around Noble Health鈥檚 Rural Missouri Hospital Closures
A year after private equity-backed Noble Health shuttered two rural Missouri hospitals, a slew of lawsuits and state and federal investigations grind forward. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey recently confirmed an 鈥渙ngoing鈥 investigation as former employees continue to go unpaid and cope with unpaid medical claims.
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California Picks Generic Drug Company Civica to Produce Low-Cost Insulin
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who blasted pharmaceutical companies for gouging Californians, is moving ahead with state-branded insulin. He鈥檚 also eyeing other generic drugs.
By Angela Hart -
Journalists Discuss Medicaid Unwinding and Clawbacks
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.
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Temp Nurses Cost Hospitals Big During Pandemic. Lawmakers Are Now Mulling Limits.
Missouri is considering making it a felony to jack up temporary health care staffing prices during a statewide or national emergency. It鈥檚 one of at least 14 states looking to reel in travel nurse costs, after many hospitals struggled to pay for needed staffers earlier in the covid pandemic.
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Listen to 鈥楾radeoffs鈥: Medical Debt Delivers ‘A Shocking Amount of Misery’
Medical debt in America pushes families to the edge. Ariane Buck and his wife, Samantha, were denied care at their doctor's office because of an unpaid bill of less than $100. A trip to the emergency room added thousands of dollars to their health care debt, which topped $50,000 by the time they filed for bankruptcy.
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Two Counties Square Off With California Over Mental Health Duties
The state wants to stop paying Kaiser Permanente for treating severely mentally ill Medi-Cal patients in Sacramento and Solano counties and force the counties to take on the task. The counties鈥 leaders say they can鈥檛 afford it.
By Angela Hart Wrestling With a Giant: How to Dispute a Hospital Bill
Season 9, Episode 3One listener tried to dispute a $1,300 鈥渇acility fee鈥 with the treating hospital, his insurer, a bill-mediation service provided by his employer, and finally a debt collector. He didn鈥檛 win, but he learned valuable lessons about advocating for hospital discounts.
Biden Budget Touches All the Bases
Episode 288Very little in the proposed budget released by the Biden administration is likely to become law, particularly with Republicans in charge of the U.S. House. Still, the document is an important statement of the president鈥檚 policy priorities, and it鈥檚 clear health programs are among those he feels are important. Meanwhile, five women who were denied abortions when their pregnancies threatened their lives are suing Texas. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Victoria Knight of Axios, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Harris Meyer, who reported and wrote the two latest KHN-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 features. Both were about families facing unexpected bills following childbirth.
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Why Does Insulin Cost So Much? Big Pharma Isn鈥檛 the Only Player Driving Prices
Big Pharma may be moving on from squeezing diabetes patients on insulin prices, but it鈥檚 the arbitrators that jack up prices for those who can least afford them.
By Arthur Allen -
Medicaid Health Plans Try to Protect Members 鈥 And Profits 鈥 During Unwinding
States are turning to the big health insurance companies to keep Medicaid enrollees insured once pandemic protections end in April. The insurers鈥 motive: profits.
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Watch: Emergency Room Turns Simple Injury Into a Big Bill
This installment of InvestigateTV and KHN鈥檚 鈥淐ostly Care鈥 series looks at the case of a New Orleans woman whose thumb injury saddled her with a big ER bill for a tetanus shot and some minor care.
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For Young People on Medicare, a Hysterectomy Sometimes Is More Affordable Than Birth Control
While Medicare was designed as health insurance for those 65 and older, it also covers people with disabilities who are young enough to still get pregnant. Yet they often struggle to get their birth control covered and end up with large medical bills 鈥 or instead opt for hysterectomies or tubal ligations, which Medicare sometimes will cover.
By Gina Jim茅nez -
Biden Administration Urged to Take More Aggressive Steps to Relieve Medical Debt
Consumer and patient advocates push for new federal rules to protect Americans from debt collectors and force hospitals to make financial assistance more accessible.
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Journalists Discuss Insulin Prices, Gun Violence, Distracted Driving, and More
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.