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.
Surprise Bills
41-60 of 151 results
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How a Surprise Bill Can Hitch a Ride to the Hospital
Season 10, Episode 1The No Surprises Act has helped rein in out-of-network medical bills, but ground ambulances are a costly exception. Hear why this service can still hit patients with big bills and what to do if you get one.
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His Anesthesia Provider Billed Medicare Late. He Got Sent to Collections for the $3,000 Tab.
Medicare was supposed to cover the entire cost of his procedure. But after the anesthesia provider failed to file its claims in a timely manner, it billed the patient instead.
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Readers and Tweeters Are Horrified by Harm Tied to Dental Device
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
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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 -
Surprise-Billing Law Loophole: When 鈥極ut of Network鈥 Doesn鈥檛 Quite Mean Out of Network
Billing experts and lawmakers are playing catch-up as providers find ways to get around new surprise-billing laws, leaving patients like Danielle Laskey of Washington state with big bills for emergency care.
By Harris Meyer Can They Freaking Do That?!? (2023 Update)
Season 9, Episode 1Can a medical provider you鈥檝e never heard of send you an outrageous bill? Sure. Can you fight back and win? Yes, sometimes you can. Here鈥檚 how to do it.
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Readers and Tweeters Diagnose Greed and Chronic Pain Within US Health Care System
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
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KHN-NPR鈥檚 鈥楤ill of the Month鈥 at 5: A Treasury of Solutions for Confounding Medical Bills
Readers and listeners shared more than 1,000 personal stories of medical billing problems with KHN-NPR鈥檚 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 investigative series this year, helping us illuminate the financial decisions patients are pressed to make in their most vulnerable moments.
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This Open Enrollment Season, Look Out for Health Insurance That Seems Too Good to Be True
Complaints about misleading health insurance marketing are soaring. State insurance commissioners are taking notice. They鈥檝e created a shared internal database to monitor questionable business practices, and, in the future, they hope to provide a public-facing resource for consumers. In the meantime, consumers should shop wisely as open enrollment season begins.
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Readers Boo Medical Debt and Viral Threats in Winning Halloween Haikus
We unmask the winner and runners-up in KHN鈥檚 fourth annual Halloween haiku competition 鈥 plus the original artwork they inspired as a special treat.
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A Billing Expert Saved Big After Finding an Incorrect Charge in Her Husband鈥檚 ER Bill
A medical billing specialist investigated her husband鈥檚 ER bill. Her sleuthing took over a year but knocked thousands of dollars off the hospital鈥檚 charges 鈥 and provides a playbook for other consumers.
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Readers and Tweeters Take a Close Look at Eye Care and White Mulberry Leaf
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
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Turned Away From Urgent Care 鈥 And Toward a Big ER Bill
Russell Cook was expecting a quick and inexpensive visit to an urgent care center for his daughter, Frankie, after she had a car wreck. Instead, they were advised to go to an emergency room and got a much larger bill.
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Watch: How Nursing Homes Put Friends and Families on the Hook for Residents鈥 Debts
In pursuit of unpaid bills, nursing homes across Rochester, New York, have been suing relatives and friends of their residents. This CBS News report, done in partnership with a KHN-NPR investigation, takes a look at the practice and tells the stories of some of the people affected.
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鈥楽o Rudderless鈥: A Couple鈥檚 Quest for Autism Treatment for Their Son Hits Repeated Obstacles
Amparo and Victor Rios began searching for answers about their son鈥檚 development when he didn鈥檛 hit some milestones after turning 2. Three years later, they are still trying to get their insurance to pay for expensive therapy to help him.
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Her First Colonoscopy Cost Her $0. Her Second Cost $2,185. Why?
Preventive care, like screening colonoscopies, is supposed to be free of charge to patients under the Affordable Care Act. But some hospitals haven鈥檛 gotten the memo.
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Betting on 鈥楪olden Age鈥 of Colonoscopies, Private Equity Invests in Gastro Docs
An aging population in need of regular cancer screenings has driven private equity companies, seeking profits, to invest in many gastroenterology practices and set up aggressive billing practices. Steep prices on routine tests are one consequence for patients.
By Emily Pisacreta and Emmarie Huetteman -
Readers and Tweeters Sound Alarm Over Nurse’s Homicide Trial
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
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Never-Ending Costs: When Resolved Medical Bills Keep Popping Up
A bill one family considered paid wrongfully resurfaced, resurrecting painful memories. It鈥檚 a scenario that鈥檚 not uncommon but grievously unsettling.