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.
Out-Of-Pocket Costs
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Watch: Why Is Having a Baby So Expensive in the US?
吃瓜不打烊 video producer Hannah Norman breaks down why new parents are getting billed thousands of dollars for births.
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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 吃瓜不打烊, 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.
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Breaking Down Why Medicare Part D Premiums Are Likely To Go Up
Insurers will take drug costs, frequency of use, and other factors into account as they set premium amounts for the 2026 plan year.
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A Guide To Finding Insurance at 26鈥
It鈥檚 a difficult rite of passage for young adults without job-based insurance. Here are some tips for getting started.
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Why Young Americans Dread Turning 26: Health Insurance Chaos
Young adults without jobs that provide insurance find their options are limited and expensive. The problem is about to get worse.
By Elisabeth Rosenthal and Hannah Norman -
Diagnosis: Debt
Trump Voters Wanted Relief From Medical Bills. For Millions, the Bills Are About To Get Bigger.
Moves by the Trump administration to pare back Medicaid, rescind medical debt rules, and loosen vaccine requirements threaten to increase medical bills for millions of Americans.
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Amid PFAS Fallout, a Maine Doctor Navigates Medical Risks With Her Patients
A doctor doing environmental health research in rural Maine is working to establish the best practices to treat patients exposed to 鈥渇orever chemicals,鈥 potentially leading the way for practitioners across the nation.
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Perspective
Surprise Medical Bills Were Supposed To Be a Thing of the Past. Surprise 鈥 They鈥檙e Not.
The No Surprises Act, which was signed in 2020 and took effect in 2022, was heralded as a landmark piece of legislation that would protect people who had health insurance from receiving surprise medical bills. And yet bills that take patients by surprise keep coming.
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Doulas, Once a Luxury, Are Increasingly Covered by Medicaid 鈥 Even in GOP States
Even as states brace for significant reductions in federal Medicaid funding over the next decade, conservative legislatures across the country are passing laws that grant doula access to Medicaid beneficiaries.
By Lauren Sausser and Katheryn Houghton -
Trump鈥檚 DOJ Accuses Medicare Advantage Insurers of Paying 鈥楰ickbacks鈥 for Primo Customers
The Department of Justice alleges that several major health insurers paid brokerages 鈥渉undreds of millions of dollars in kickbacks鈥 to get agents to steer consumers into their Medicare Advantage plans, allegations the insurers strongly dispute.
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Montana Examines Ways To Ease Health Care Workforce Shortages
Bills before the legislature would license community health workers and make it easier for some other health professionals licensed in other states to do business in Montana.
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Republicans Once Wanted Government out of Health Care. Trump Voters See It Differently.
Frustrated by high health care prices, many who backed President Donald Trump support strong government actions to protect patients. It鈥檚 unclear whether GOP leaders will listen.
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He Went in for a Colonoscopy. The Hospital Charged $19,000 for Two.
A man in Chicago with a troubling symptom underwent a common procedure. Then he wanted to know why the hospital charged nearly three times its own cost estimate.
By Harris Meyer -
Readers Embrace ‘Going It Alone’ Series on Aging and Chastise Makers of Pulse Oximeters
吃瓜不打烊 gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
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Pay First, Deliver Later: Some Women Are Being Asked To Prepay for Their Baby
Pregnant women are being asked to make large cash payments months before they deliver their babies. Some patient advocates worry this billing practice allows providers to hold treatment hostage.
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What鈥檚 at Stake: A Pivotal Election for Six Big Health Issues
Health care has ebbed and surged as an election issue throughout the presidential campaign. Here are the ways some of the most consequential changes in health policies could hinge on whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump wins.
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Toddler鈥檚 Backyard Snakebite Bills Totaled More Than a Quarter Million Dollars
For snakebite victims, antivenom is critical 鈥 and costly. It took more than $200,000 worth of antivenom to save one toddler鈥檚 life after he was bitten by a rattlesnake.
Don鈥檛 Get 鈥楤ullied鈥 Into Paying What You Don鈥檛 Owe
Season 12, Episode 3In this episode of 鈥淎n Arm and a Leg,鈥 host Dan Weissmann speaks with Caitlyn Mai, a woman in Oklahoma who received a six-figure bill for a surgery her insurance promised to cover. This episode is an extended version of the 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 series, produced in partnership with NPR.
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Urgent Care or ER? With 鈥極ne-Stop Shop,鈥 Hospitals Offer Both Under Same Roof
Hospitals in several states are partnering with a private equity-backed company to offer combined emergency and urgent care in a single building. But patients may not realize prices vary between the two services 鈥 often by a lot.