Health Insurance

Adam Woodrum and his son, Robert, get ready for a bike ride near their home in Carson City, Nev., this month. During the summer, Robert had a bike accident that resulted in a hefty bill from the family's insurer.

A Kid, A Minor Bike Accident And A $19,000 Medical Bill

4:01pm November 25, 2020

by Julie Appleby

It was a surprise even for a family of lawyers. A process called "subrogation" began with a Nevada family's health insurer denying their claim for an ER visit after their 9-year-old fell off his bike.

"One of the greatest gifts is to feel alive while you are alive," Katherine Standefer says. She writes about her experiences living with an implantable cardiac defibrillator in Lightning Flowers.

Author Details 'Living With Death' In Her 20s And Scrambling For Life-Saving Care

1:55pm November 10, 2020

by Dave Davies

Katherine Standefer was uninsured and working as a hiking guide when diagnosed with a genetic heart condition. She chronicles her experience with an implanted heart device in Lightning Flowers.

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Report Says Over 250,000 Lost Job-Related Health Coverage During Pandemic

10:18am November 03, 2020

by Neal Charnoff

A new report estimates that over a quarter of a million North Carolinians lost their health insurance as a result of job losses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When Angela Settles' husband, Darius, got sick with COVID-19, he was worried about medical bills. He worked two jobs but had no health insurance.

Hospital Bills For Uninsured COVID-19 Patients Are Covered, But No One Tells Them

1:10pm October 22, 2020

by Blake Farmer

The CARES Act provides funds to pay medical bills for uninsured COVID-19 patients. But a young man's death in Nashville, Tenn., shows people often don't know about the program until it's too late.

Open enrollment is about to start for those buying private insurance off state or federal exchanges.

Health & Safety

The Affordable Care Act's Fate Is In Flux But 2021 Health Plan Prices Are Stable

1:24pm October 20, 2020

by Julie Appleby

The Affordable Care Act's future is uncertain and there's no end in sight to the pandemic. But for the 2021 insurance year consumers can expect to see modest increases in prices, if any.

Matthew Fentress was diagnosed with heart disease that developed after a bout of the flu in 2014. His condition worsened three years later, and he had to declare bankruptcy when he couldn't afford his medical bills, despite having insurance.

Heart Disease Bankrupted Him Once. Now He Faces Another $10,000 Medical Bill

4:14pm September 25, 2020

by Laura Ungar

A cook at a senior center, Matthew Fentress is one of millions of Americans whose skimpy health insurance plans leave them vulnerable to huge out-of-pocket costs when they get sick.

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Demonstrators pray in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on July 8, a day the court ruled that employers with religious objections can decline to provide contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act. With the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the ACA's f

The Future Of The Affordable Care Act In A Supreme Court Without Ginsburg

11:11am September 21, 2020

by Julie Rovner

The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg comes just as the Supreme Court was about to hear a case challenging the ACA. It could end Medicaid expansion and protections for preexisting conditions.

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Median household income rose sharply last year, while poverty declined to 10.5% — the lowest since records began in 1959, according to the Census Bureau.

Economy

American Incomes Were Rising, Until The Pandemic Hit

4:14pm September 15, 2020

by Scott Horsley

Median household income jumped to $68,700 in 2019, the highest since record-keeping began in 1967. Many of those gains have likely been erased this year, as the pandemic left tens of millions jobless.

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Los Angeles County last fall unveiled one of its 10 Department of Mental Health vans aimed at, among other things, reducing long waiting periods for the transport of individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.

Health & Safety

California Poised To Strengthen Mental Health Insurance Laws

5:40pm September 01, 2020

by Yuki Noguchi

One of the strongest mental health parity laws in the U.S. is on the governor's desk. It aims to help more than 13 million Californians — including those with milder mental illness and addictions.

"Before the appendectomy, I was looking for property and homes to purchase, and that is pretty much completely off the table right now," says Shannon Harness, a veteran who was uninsured when he had two appendicitis-related surgeries in 2019. The bills am

Health & Safety

Veteran's Appendectomy Launches Excruciating, Months-Long Battle Over Bill

12:29pm August 25, 2020

by Elizabeth Lawrence

An uninsured Colorado man who had appendicitis owed $80,232 after two surgeries. After months of negotiating with the hospital, he still owes far more than most insurers would pay for the procedures.

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