As Trump Punts on Medical Debt, Battle Over Patient Protections Moves to States
Some states are enacting medical debt laws as the Trump administration pulls back federal protections. Elsewhere, industry opposition has derailed legislation.
Healthcare Costs
261-280 of 1,943 results
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Big Loopholes in Hospital Charity Care Programs Mean Patients Still Get Stuck With the Tab
Even if people qualify for financial help with their hospital bills, the care they receive may not be covered.
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She Had a Broken Arm, No Insurance 鈥 And a $97,000 Bill
Deborah Buttgereit knew piecing together the broken bone in her elbow would be expensive. But complications the doctor deemed a surprise, midsurgery, drove the total bill tens of thousands of dollars above the original estimate.
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States Are Cutting Medicaid Provider Payments Long Before Trump Cuts Hit
North Carolina and Idaho are cutting their Medicaid programs to bridge budget gaps, raising fears that providers will stop taking patients and that hospitals will close even before the brunt of a new federal tax-and-budget law takes effect.
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Listen: The Surprising Power of Pushback When Health Insurance Won鈥檛 Pay
Denied coverage for preventive care? You鈥檙e not powerless. In this new episode of NPR鈥檚 鈥淟ife Kit鈥 podcast, 51视频 Health News reporter Jackie Forti茅r explores why denials happen and how to avoid common pitfalls.
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Projected Surge in Uninsured Will Strain Local Health Systems
In South Texas鈥 Rio Grande Valley, many people go without health insurance, and the health system struggles as a result. Similar communities dot the nation, and more could face such difficulties under President Donald Trump鈥檚 tax-and-spending law.
By Sam Whitehead and Renuka Rayasam -
Team Trump鈥檚 Answer to Ballooning Obamacare Premiums: Less Generous Coverage
Tens of millions of people face sticker shock enrolling in Affordable Care Act insurance for 2026. To save money, the Trump administration wants them to consider less generous coverage.
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Watch: Why Is Having a Baby So Expensive in the US?
51视频 Health News video producer Hannah Norman breaks down why new parents are getting billed thousands of dollars for births.
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Trump鈥檚 Medicaid Cuts Were Aimed at 鈥楢ble-Bodied Adults.鈥 Hospitals Say Kids Will Be Hurt.
The GOP said its overhaul of Medicaid was aimed at reducing fraud and getting more adult beneficiaries to work. Among the likely side effects: fewer services and doctors for treating sick children.
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In the Fallout From Trump鈥檚 Health Funding Cuts, States Face Tough Budget Decisions
The Trump administration has pushed a significant amount of health costs to states, whose budgets may already be strained by declining state tax revenues, a slowdown in pandemic spending, and economic uncertainty. State and local governments now face difficult decisions.
On Capitol Hill, RFK Defends Firings at CDC
Episode 412A combative Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the U.S. secretary of health and human services, appeared before a Senate committee Thursday, defending his firing of the newly confirmed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as other changes that could limit the availability of vaccines. Meanwhile, Congress has only a few weeks to complete work on annual spending bills to avoid a possible government shutdown and to ward off potentially large increases in premiums for Affordable Care Act health plans. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 51视频 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 51视频 Health News鈥 Tony Leys, who discusses his 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 report about a woman鈥檚 unfortunate interaction with a bat 鈥 and her even more unfortunate interaction with the bill for her rabies prevention treatment.
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He Built Michigan’s Medicaid Work Requirement System. Now He’s Warning Other States.
Michigan鈥檚 former top health official spent a year and $30 million building a system to implement work requirements for Medicaid recipients. The difficulties he encountered have him worried about 40 states and Washington, D.C., having to launch such systems by 2027.
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Fighting a Health Insurance Denial? Here Are 7 Tips To Help
Many people don鈥檛 know they can fight a health insurance denial, let alone how to do it. Here are practical tips for consumers who want to appeal a prior authorization decision.
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As Insurers Struggle With GLP-1 Drug Costs, Some Seek To Wean Patients Off
Conventional wisdom says GLP-1 drugs must be taken indefinitely to maintain weight loss. But a growing number of researchers, payers, and providers are challenging that consensus and exploring whether 鈥 and how 鈥 to taper patients off expensive GLP-1 drugs.
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Listen: Limiting Benefits and Adding Restrictions, 鈥楳AHA鈥 Reshapes Food Aid
The White House and congressional Republicans have made historic changes to the federal anti-hunger program SNAP. They say the changes will boost healthy eating for low-income Americans. Some nutrition experts aren鈥檛 so sure.
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When Hospitals and Insurers Fight, Patients Get Caught in the Middle
About 90,000 people spent months in limbo as central Missouri鈥檚 major, and often only, provider fought over insurance contracts. Patients getting caught in the crossfire of disputes has become a familiar complication, as about 8% of hospitals have left an insurer network since 2021. Trump administration policies could accelerate the trend.
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An Insurer Agreed To Cover Her Surgery. A Politician鈥檚 Nudge Got the Bills Paid.
A kindergartner in Missouri needed eye surgery. Her insurer granted approval for her to see a specialist nearby, yet her parents were confused when they still owed more than $13,000. Then her uncle, a former state senator, reached out to a colleague who contacted the hospital and the insurer.
By Cara Anthony -
Native Americans Want To Avoid Past Medicaid Enrollment Snafus as Work Requirements Loom
As states prepare to implement changes to Medicaid required by President Donald Trump鈥檚 recent tax-and-spending law, tribal leaders say they are concerned Native American enrollees could lose their coverage, despite exemptions made by Congress.
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Perspective
The Price Increases That Should Cause Americans More Alarm
The cost of health insurance is rising faster than the price of eggs or gasoline.
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Try This When Your Doctor Says 鈥榊es鈥 to a Preventive Test but Insurance Says 鈥楴o鈥
A joint project of NPR and 51视频 Health News, Healthcare Helpline helps you navigate the health system hurdles between you and good care. Send us your tricky questions, and we may tap a policy sleuth to puzzle them out. Here is what to do if your preventive care gets denied.