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.
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For the patient, it was a quick and inexpensive virtual appointment. Why it cost 10 times what she expected became a mystery.
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?
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.
The Supreme Court agreed this week to hear its first major case on abortion since overturning Roe v. Wade 鈥 one that could restrict the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone, even in states where abortion remains legal. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, lawmakers in the House and Senate finally moved to renew health programs that expired in October 鈥 but it鈥檚 likely too late to finish the job in 2023. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Riley Griffin of Bloomberg News, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join 吃瓜不打烊 chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Jen Golbeck, a University of Maryland professor and social media superstar, about her new book, 鈥淭he Purest Bond,鈥 which lays out the science of the human-canine relationship.
Some hospitals sue patients over unpaid medical bills. But is this even an effective way for hospitals to recoup lost revenue? On this episode of 鈥淎n Arm and a Leg,鈥 host Dan Weissmann speaks with medical-debt experts to explore a different solution.
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.
A chronic health diagnosis and medical debt reordered Sharon Woodward's life.
Sensing that Republicans are walking into a political minefield by threatening once again to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Biden administration is looking to capitalize by rolling out a series of initiatives aimed at high drug prices and other consequences of 鈥渃orporate greed in health care.鈥 Meanwhile, the Supreme Court hears a case that could determine when and how much victims of the opioid crisis can collect from Purdue Pharma, the drug company that lied about how addictive its drug, OxyContin, really was. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Rachana Pradhan of 吃瓜不打烊 join 吃瓜不打烊 chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dan Weissmann of 吃瓜不打烊鈥 sister podcast, 鈥淎n Arm and a Leg,鈥 about his investigation into hospitals suing their patients over unpaid bills.
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.
Long-term care options in the U.S. are costly, complex, and often inadequate. 吃瓜不打烊' Jordan Rau and Reed Abelson of The New York Times host a Zoom panel to explore the challenges of providing 鈥 and affording 鈥 care.
The Supreme Court heard arguments over whether the Sacklers, the family behind Purdue Pharma 鈥 which marketed OxyContin 鈥 could claim immunity from future lawsuits without claiming bankruptcy.
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.
Although Republicans have never united behind a replacement for the Affordable Care Act, 2024 GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump said this week he wants to put the issue back on the national agenda. That delights Democrats, who have won at least two elections partly by defending the now-popular health law. Meanwhile, the Texas Supreme Court takes up a case brought by women who say their pregnancy complications further endangered their health due to the vagueness of Texas鈥 near-total ban on abortions. Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Victoria Knight of Axios News join 吃瓜不打烊 chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Rachana Pradhan, who reported and wrote the latest 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature.
On this episode of 鈥淎n Arm and a Leg,鈥 hear how a couple wrote and directed a short film, starring one of them 鈥 just to maintain health insurance through the actors union.
A few years ago, Oakland won national acclaim for slashing gun-related crimes. Then the covid-19 pandemic tore through poor neighborhoods, and the murder of George Floyd fueled distrust in police. With guns readily available, violent crime has once again skyrocketed, leaving the community struggling to contain it.
This illustrated report has been adapted from a 吃瓜不打烊 article, 鈥淢any Autoimmune Disease Patients Struggle With Diagnosis, Costs, Inattentive Care鈥 by Andy Miller, with artwork by Oona Tempest.
吃瓜不打烊 editor-at-large for public health C茅line Gounder discusses how families of transgender youth are uprooting their lives due to anti-trans policies and their ripple effects.
Convenient as it may be, beware of getting your blood drawn at a hospital. The cost could be much higher than at an independent lab, and your insurance might not cover it all.
Congress narrowly avoided a federal government shutdown for the second time in six weeks, as Democrats came to the rescue of divided House Republicans over annual spending bills that were supposed to be finished by Oct. 1. But the brinksmanship is likely to repeat itself early in 2024, when the next temporary spending patches expire. Meanwhile, a pair of investigations unveiled this week demonstrate how difficult it still is for seniors to get needed long-term and rehabilitation care. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
Abortion rights backers won major victories in at least five states in the 2023 off-year elections Nov. 7, proving the staying power of abortion as a political issue in the wake of the Supreme Court鈥檚 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health finally has a new director, after Democrats temporarily blocked President Joe Biden鈥檚 nominee over a mostly unrelated fight about prescription drug prices. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Appleby, who reported and wrote the latest 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature.
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