Bill of the Month
吃瓜不打烊, in collaboration with The Washington Post, examines and decodes your perplexing medical bills.
Investigations
Priced Out
America鈥檚 Health Insurance Crisis
Common Ground
Americans are split over many issues, but helping people with cancer and other serious illnesses retains broad bipartisan support.
141-160 of 462 results
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New York Joins Local Governments in Erasing Billions in Medical Debt
New York City is the latest jurisdiction to buy and forgive a backlog of unpaid medical bills for its residents. Local governments across the country, including in the Chicago area, are doing the same to reduce debt burdens for lower-income residents.
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In This Oklahoma Town, Most Everyone Knows Someone Who鈥檚 Been Sued by the Hospital
Hospitals nationwide face growing scrutiny over how they secure payment from patients, but at one community hospital, the debt collection machine has been quietly humming along for decades.
By Mitchell Black and Noam N. Levey -
In Year 6, 吃瓜不打烊-NPR鈥檚 鈥楤ill of the Month鈥 Helps Patients in a Changing System
In the sixth year of the 吃瓜不打烊-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 series, patients shared more than 750 tales of medical billing problems, and reporters analyzed more than $730,000 in charges 鈥 including more than $215,000 owed by 12 patients and their families.
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吃瓜不打烊-CBS News Investigation
鈥楢GGA鈥 Inventor Testifies His Dental Device Was Not Meant for TMJ or Sleep Apnea
The FDA and Department of Justice are investigating the Anterior Growth Guidance Appliance, or 鈥淎GGA.鈥 TMJ and sleep apnea patients have filed lawsuits alleging the device harmed them. Its inventor now says the AGGA was never meant for these ailments.
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The Year in Opioid Settlements: 5 Things You Need to Know
In the past year, opioid settlement money has gone from an emerging funding stream for which people had lofty but uncertain aspirations to a coveted pot of billions being invested in remediation efforts. Here are some important and evolving factors to watch going forward.
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Deep Flaws in FDA Oversight of Medical Devices, and Patient Harm, Exposed in Lawsuits and Records
Thousands of medical devices are sold, and even implanted, with no safety tests.
By Fred Schulte and Holly K. Hacker -
鈥業 Am Just Waiting to Die鈥: Social Security Clawbacks Drive Some Into Homelessness
The Social Security Administration is reclaiming billions of dollars in alleged overpayments from some of the nation's poorest and most vulnerable, leaving some people homeless or struggling to stay in housing, beneficiaries and advocates say.
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When a Quick Telehealth Visit Yields Multiple Surprises Beyond a Big Bill
For the patient, it was a quick and inexpensive virtual appointment. Why it cost 10 times what she expected became a mystery.
By Darius Tahir -
Patients Facing Death Are Opting for a Lifesaving Heart Device 鈥 But at What Risk?
The HeartMate 3 is considered the safest mechanical heart pump of its kind, but a federal database contains more than 4,500 reports in which the medical device may have caused or contributed to a patient鈥檚 death.
By Daniel Chang and Holly K. Hacker -
New Doula Benefit 鈥楲ife-Changing鈥 for California Mom
Doulas, independent workers who act as advocates for birthing parents, have been shown to help prevent pregnancy complications and improve the health of both mothers and babies. California鈥檚 Medicaid program started covering their services this year, but some doulas say bureaucratic obstacles and inadequate pay prevent their effective use.
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Social Security Chief Apologizes to Congress for Misleading Testimony on Overpayments
Acting Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi sent the letter days after 吃瓜不打烊 and Cox Media Group reported that the agency has been demanding money back from more than twice as many people as she鈥檇 disclosed in October testimony.
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鈥楾hey See a Cash Cow鈥: Corporations Could Consume $50 Billion of Opioid Settlements
As opioid settlement dollars land in government coffers, a swarm of businesses are positioning themselves to profit from the windfall. But will their potential gains come at the expense of the settlements鈥 intended purpose 鈥 to remediate the effects of the opioid epidemic?
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鈥楿ntil It Is Fixed鈥: Congress Ramps Up Action on Social Security Clawbacks
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), chair of the Senate Finance Committee, vowed to meet monthly with Social Security officials until the problems surrounding overpayment demands are fixed.
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Millions in Opioid Settlement Funds Sit Untouched as Overdose Deaths Rise
Some states haven't begun using opioid settlement funds intended to help curb the opioid epidemic. Meanwhile, more than 100,000 Americans died of an overdose last year.
By Katheryn Houghton and Aneri Pattani -
Listen: What Our 2-Year-Long Investigation Into Medical Debt Reveals
An award-winning project by 吃瓜不打烊 and NPR found that at least 100 million people in the United States are saddled with medical bills they cannot pay 鈥 and exposed a health care system that systematically pushes people into debt.
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Watch: She Had a Home and a Good-Paying Job. Then Illness and Debt Upended It All.
A chronic health diagnosis and medical debt reordered Sharon Woodward's life.
By Noam N. Levey and Hannah Norman -
Social Security Clawbacks Hit a Million More People Than Agency Chief Told Congress
More than 2 million people a year have been sent notices that Social Security overpaid them and demanding they repay the money. That鈥檚 twice as many as the head of Social Security disclosed at a congressional hearing in October.
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Patients Expected Profemur Artificial Hips to Last. Then They Snapped in Half.
The FDA and the manufacturer were alerted to Profemur titanium hips breaking inside U.S. patients as of 2005. It took 15 years to recall the devices. Many fractures could have been avoided.
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鈥楩orever Chemicals鈥 Found in Freshwater Fish, Yet Most States Don鈥檛 Warn Residents
At least 17 states have issued PFAS-related fish consumption advisories, 吃瓜不打烊 found. But with no federal guidance, what is considered safe to eat varies significantly among states, most of which provide no regulation.
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In Congress, Calls Mount for Social Security to Address Clawbacks
In the wake of a 吃瓜不打烊-Cox Media Group investigation, U.S. lawmakers are asking what Social Security will do about its demands on their constituents to repay money already distributed 鈥 and sometimes in error. Sen. Rick Scott called the agency鈥檚 actions 鈥渦nacceptable.鈥