Listen: How the New ‘No Surprises’ Law Tackles Unexpected Medical Bills
Years in the making, a new federal law against surprise medical bills took effect Jan. 1.
Healthcare Costs
1,101-1,120 of 1,944 results
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鈥楾hen the Bill Came鈥: Year 4 of KHN-NPR’s Bill of the Month Is a Wrap
Our crowdsourced investigation of the high, confusing and arbitrary medical bills generated by our health system is set to begin its fifth year in 2022.
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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.
By Jay Hancock -
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.
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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.
By Jay Hancock -
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.
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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.
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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.
By Fred Schulte -
鈥楾he Charges Seem Crazy鈥: Hospitals Impose a 鈥楩acility Fee鈥 鈥 For a Video Visit
Facility fees, designed to help hospitals cover the high cost of staying open 24/7, have long rankled consumers. Now, some patients are assessed the fees while sitting at home for a telehealth appointment.
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KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Oh, Oh, Omicron
Even before the omicron variant of covid starts to spread widely in the U.S., hospitals are filling up with post-holiday delta cases. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court signals 鈥 loudly 鈥 that 2022 will be the year it rolls back abortion rights in a big way. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
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鈥楢n Arm and a Leg鈥: She Fights Health Insurers for Fun 鈥 And Wins
Law professor Jackie Fox looks at health insurance policies like any other contract, and she has spent 30 years making sound legal arguments to help patients get the care they need.
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Suit by Doctors, Hospitals Seeks Change in How Arbitrators Settle Surprise Billing Cases
The American Medical Association and American Hospital Association are not arguing to halt the law that protects patients from unexpected bills from providers they didn鈥檛 know were outside their insurance network. Instead, they want to change the rules for the mediators who will settle the dispute between insurers and providers.
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Some Montana Nonprofit Hospitals Fall Short of Peers in Required Charitable Giving
Montana nonprofit hospitals receive millions of dollars in tax exemptions as charities each year in exchange for giving back to their communities. A KHN review found that some of Montana鈥檚 richest medical centers are falling behind most state and national hospitals.
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Post-Pandemic, What鈥檚 a Phone Call From Your Physician Worth?
Medicare billing codes for audio-only follow-up check-ins lead to new reimbursement battles.
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From ‘Physician Assistant’ to Medicare, Readers and Tweeters Mince No Words
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
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鈥楢n Arm and a Leg鈥: How to Avoid the Worst Health Insurance
Listen to a journalist's first-person horror story on shopping for health insurance 鈥 and learn how to avoid the pitfalls.
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Becerra Says Surprise Billing Rules Force Doctors Who Overcharge to Accept Fair Prices
The Health and Human Services secretary says the administration has heard complaints from doctors and hospitals about the rules it unveiled for implementing the law to end surprise medical bills. But he says providers who have exploited a complicated system to charge exorbitant rates will have to bear their share of the cost 鈥 or close.
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Why You Can鈥檛 Find Cheap At-Home Covid Tests
You probably won鈥檛 be testing everyone at your Thanksgiving table for covid because the tests are expensive and hard to find. Why? The federal government is partly to blame.
By Rachana Pradhan and Hannah Norman -
鈥楢n Arm and a Leg鈥: The Insurance Warrior’s Battle Plan
Health care 鈥 and how much it costs 鈥 is scary. But knowledge is power. Take a master class in winning insurance appeals. In the case of Matthew Lientz, taking on his insurance also meant going up against his employer.
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Vaccine-or-Test Requirements Increase Work and Costs for Governments
But state and local officials embrace the requirement because it creates a safer workplace while allowing employees to continue working.