Surprise Bills Archives - Page 5 of 8

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Health Agenda Still on Hold

Negotiations continue on Capitol Hill over President Joe Biden’s health agenda — along with a long list of other items. With Republicans on the sidelines, liberal Democrats delayed a House vote on a Senate-passed infrastructure bill to extract moderates’ support for a social-spending bill that includes expansions of benefits for Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, the Biden administration’s new rules to prevent “surprise” medical bills pleases some health stakeholders and angers others. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN and Kimberly Leonard of Insider join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, Rovner interviews Anna Flagg of the Marshall Project about how a century-old report on medical education contributed to racial inequities that persist today.

Oct. 1, 2021

At Urgent Care, He Got 5 Stitches and a Big Surprise: A Plastic Surgeon’s Bill for $1,040

The Biden administration is weighing how to treat urgent care clinics as part of broad regulations banning surprise, out-of-network medical bills. At the heart of the matter: What counts as an emergency?

By Rachana Pradhan

Aug. 2, 2021

Readers and Tweeters Connect the Dots on Topics From Vaccine Development to Long Covid

Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

July 23, 2021

KHN On Air

Journalists Tackle Delta Variant, Hospital Prices and Public Health Spending

KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

July 10, 2021

Health Policy Valentines to Warm the Heart

Tweeters lit up our timeline in recent days with Health Policy Valentines about a variety of health topics. Here are some of our favorites.

Feb. 12, 2021

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: 2020 in Review — It Wasn’t All COVID

The coronavirus pandemic colored just about everything in 2020. But there was other health policy news that you either never heard or might have forgotten about: the Affordable Care Act going before the Supreme Court with its survival on the line; ditto for Medicaid work requirements. And a surprise ending to the “surprise bill” saga. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

Dec. 23, 2020

Surprise! Congress Takes Steps to Curb Unexpected Medical Bills

A long-debated measure to stop doctors, hospitals and other health care providers from billing patients for charges not covered by their insurance will gain congressional approval as part of the sweeping government spending package.

By Julie Appleby

Dec. 22, 2020

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: All I Want for Christmas Is a COVID Relief Bill

Congress seems on the verge of finishing a long-delayed COVID-19 relief bill, which will reportedly include neither of the things each party wanted most — for Republicans, liability protections; for Democrats, funding for states and localities. That bill is likely to be tied to a package to fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year and, possibly, include a fix for “surprise” medical bills that patients receive when they inadvertently receive care outside their insurance network. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call and Mary Agnes Carey of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner talks to Elizabeth Mitchell, president and CEO of the Pacific Business Group on Health, about the future of employer-provided health insurance.

Dec. 17, 2020

Promises Kept? On Health Care, Trump’s Claims of ‘Monumental Steps’ Don’t Add Up

The president entered office seeking to overturn the Affordable Care Act, revamp Medicaid and drive down prescription drug prices, among other things. He’s hit some stone walls.

By Julie Rovner and Phil Galewitz

Sept. 28, 2020

With No Legal Guardrails for Patients, Ambulances Drive Surprise Medical Billing

Studies show that at least half of ground ambulance rides across the nation leave patients with “surprise” medical bills. And a $300-a-mile ride is not unusual. Yet federal legislation to stem what’s known as balance billing has largely ignored ambulance costs.

By Laura Ungar

Sept. 14, 2020

Podcast

‘An Arm and a Leg’: How to Fight Bogus Medical Bills Like a Bulldog

When a colleague brings a medical billing problem to human resources director Steve Benasso — he goes to battle. “I am a bulldog on this stuff,” he said. In this episode, Benasso tells how he does it.

By Dan Weissmann

Aug. 24, 2020

Bill of the Month

Ever Heard of a Surgical Assistant? Meet a New Boost to Your Medical Bills

A college student’s bill for outpatient knee surgery is a whopper — $96K — but the most mysterious part is a $1,167 charge from a health care provider she didn’t even know was in the operating room.

By Markian Hawryluk

July 22, 2020

Bill Of The Month

COVID Catch-22: They Got A Big ER Bill Because Hospitals Couldn’t Test For Virus

Americans who had coronavirus symptoms in March and April are getting big hospital bills — because they were not sick enough to get then-scarce COVID tests. Some insurers say they are trying to correct these bills, but patients may have to put up a fight.

By Julie Appleby

July 7, 2020

Ghost Bill: UVA Siphons Couple’s Tax Refund To Pay 20-Year-Old Medical Debt

Jane Collins and Anthony Blow were stunned to learn last fall that their state tax refund was being reduced by $110 because the Charlottesville medical center said they owed money for care their son received in 2001 and 2002.

By Michelle Andrews

June 24, 2020

COVID-19

Congress Said COVID-19 Tests Should Be Free — But Who’s Paying?

Some large employers interpreted themselves as exempt from new federal laws that say tests for the coronavirus should be free to patients. Large academic medical centers are holding back from sending bills to these patients to avoid a backlash over surprise billing.

By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio

May 22, 2020

COVID-19

Telehealth Will Be Free, No Copays, They Said. But Angry Patients Are Getting Billed.

Politicians pledged to stop providers from charging for video appointments or telephone calls, but some patients are being charged $70 or $80 per virtual visit.

By Jay Hancock

April 27, 2020

COVID-19

In Fine Print, HHS Appears To Ban All Surprise Billing During The Pandemic

Language in the CARES Act says providers who take emergency funding cannot balance-bill coronavirus patients ― and “every patient” is considered a possible COVID-19 patient.

By Emmarie Huetteman

April 17, 2020

COVID-19

Analysis: He Got Tested For Coronavirus. Then Came The Flood Of Medical Bills.

Hidden costs for ER visits and other fees could cost people thousands of dollars.

By Elisabeth Rosenthal and Emmarie Huetteman

April 1, 2020

Asking Never Hurts

Crushed By A Hospital Bill? Stand Up For Yourself

Most hospitals must offer free or reduced-cost care to certain patients, based on income, even if they have insurance. But some hospitals erect barriers to charity care, so it’s up to patients to advocate for themselves.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

March 11, 2020

Analysis: Who Profits From Steep Medical Bills? The People Tasked With Fixing Them.

Surprise bills are just the latest weapons in a decades-long war among health care industry players over who gets to keep the fortunes generated each year from patient illness: $3.6 trillion in 2018. The practice is an outrage, yet no one in the health care sector wants to unilaterally make the type of big concessions that would change things.

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

Feb. 19, 2020

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