Medical debt could soon be barred from ruining your credit score
The Biden administration unveiled regulations that potentially would help tens of millions of people who have medical debt on their credit reports.
health care costs
Hospitals sued thousands of patients in North Carolina for unpaid bills, report finds
The suits pursued patients and their families, sometimes putting liens on homes. "I know my house will never be mine. It is going to be the hospital's," said Donna Lindabury, 70, who lost her case.
Why doctors pay millions in fees that could be spent on care
The shift to electronic medical payments gave rise to a new kind of health care middlemen, who now charge 1-5% every time insurers pay doctors. Here's how lobbyists convinced regulators this was OK.
'Hi, Doc!' DM'ing the doctor could cost you (or your insurance plan)
Virtual access to doctors is a huge plus for patients. But it's a lot of new work for physicians. And the health care business model hasn't caught up with this new reality.
Medical debt affects millions, and advocates push IRS, consumer agency for relief
More than 50 consumer and patient groups want the Biden Administration to aggressively protect Americans from medical bills and debt collectors. The effort follows a KHN/NPR investigation.
ERs staffed by private equity firms aim to cut costs by hiring fewer doctors
Increasingly, private equity firms shape staffing decisions at hospital emergency rooms, research shows. One apparent effect: Hiring fewer doctors and more health care practitioners who earn far less.
Medicare announces plan to recoup billions from drug companies
Drugmakers will be required to pay Medicare back for price increases that outpace inflation. The industry is expected to put up a fight over implementation.
At buzzy health care business conference, investors fear the bubble will burst
JPMorgan's cheery confab returned to San Francisco, but the health care capitalists had economic anxiety, too.
An $18,000 biopsy? Paying cash might have been cheaper than using her insurance
A hospital's cost calculator said her procedure would be $1,400 for patients without insurance. Instead, the bill was almost $18,000 and, her part was more than $5,000 — the balance of her deductible.
Sick and struggling to pay, 100 million people in the U.S. live with medical debt
The U.S. health system now produces debt on a mass scale, a new investigation shows. Patients face gut-wrenching sacrifices.