A Listener Fighting the Good Fight
A medical resident who listens to “An Arm and a Leg” is pushing for change with the American Medical Association and at the hospital where he works.
Healthcare Costs
401 - 420 of 1,903 Results
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Health Insurers Limit Coverage of Prosthetic Limbs, Questioning Their Medical Necessity
Advocates say it is discrimination and are arguing for “insurance fairness” on the grounds that people who have joints surgically replaced typically don’t face the same kinds of coverage challenges.
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In Year 7, ‘Bill of the Month’ Gives Patients a Voice
In the seventh year of ϳԹ News’ “Bill of the Month” series, patients shared their most perplexing, vexing, and downright expensive medical bills, and reporters analyzed $800,000 in charges — including more than $370,000 owed by 12 patients and their families.
Revisiting ‘Christmas In July’
Season 12, Episode 9From the archives of “An Arm and a Leg”: a family tragedy, a 40-year tradition, and a million dollars in medical debt erased.
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Journalists Wrap Up 2024 With Topics From Trump 2.0 to Frustration With Health Industry
ϳԹ News staff made the rounds on national and local media in the last two weeks to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
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Readers Offer ‘Solo Agers’ Support and Reflect on Ancestors
ϳԹ News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
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‘Bill of the Month’: The Series That Dissects and Slashes Medical Bills
Since 2018, readers and listeners sent ϳԹ News-NPR’s “Bill of the Month” thousands of questionable bills. Our crowdsourced investigation paved the way for landmark legislation and highlighted cost-saving strategies for all patients.
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Employers Press Congress To Cement Health Price Transparency Before Trump’s Return
Donald Trump’s first administration advanced rules forcing hospitals and insurers to reveal prices for medical services. Employers don’t want to risk backtracking during Trump’s second administration.
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Obamacare Sign-Ups Lag After Trump Election, Legal Challenges
The number of new and returning enrollees using healthcare.gov — the federal marketplace that serves 31 states — is well below last year’s as of early December. Also, a Biden administration push to give “Dreamers” access to Obamacare coverage and subsidies is facing court challenges.
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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 -
Democratic Senators Ask Watchdog Agency To Investigate Georgia’s Medicaid Work Rule
A group of Democratic senators asked the Government Accountability Office to examine a Georgia program that requires some Medicaid enrollees to work, study, or volunteer 80 hours a month for coverage. They cited ϳԹ News’ reporting, which has documented the program’s high costs and low enrollment.
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How a Duty To Spend Wisely on Worker Benefits Could Loosen PBMs’ Grip on Drug Prices
As criticism of pharmacy benefit managers heats up, fear of lawsuits is driving some big employers to drop the “Big Three” PBMs — or force them to change.
By Arthur Allen -
News Analysis
Rage Has Long Shadowed American Health Care. It’s Rarely Produced Big Change.
The outpouring of anger at health insurers following the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson continues a cycle of rage that dates back decades.
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Native American Patients Are Sent to Collections for Debts the Government Owes
Federal law says Native Americans aren’t liable for medical bills the Indian Health Service promises to pay. Some are billed anyway as a result of backlogs or mistakes from the agency, financial middlemen, or health systems.
By Katheryn Houghton and Arielle Zionts -
Perspective
Removing a Splinter? Treating a Wart? If a Doctor Does It, It Can Be Billed as Surgery
Minor interventions are increasingly being rebranded and billed as surgery, for profit. This means a neurologist spending 40 minutes with a patient to tease out a diagnosis can be paid less for that time than a dermatologist spending a few seconds squirting a dollop of liquid nitrogen onto the skin.
A Killing Touches Off Backlash Against Health Insurers
Episode 376The shocking shooting death of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive in Midtown Manhattan prompted a public outcry about the problems with the nation’s health care system, as stories of delayed and denied care filled social media. Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump continues to avoid providing specifics about his plans for the Affordable Care Act and other health issues. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat join ϳԹ News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Francis Collins, who was the director of the National Institutes of Health and a science adviser to President Joe Biden.
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New Lessons in the Fight for Charity Care
Season 12, Episode 8Host Dan Weissmann checks back in on the fight for hospital charity care, with lessons from Dollar For and a savvy listener.
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9 States Poised To End Coverage for Millions if Trump Cuts Medicaid Funding
About 3.7 million people are at immediate risk of losing health coverage should the federal government cut funding for Medicaid expansions, as some allies of President-elect Donald Trump have proposed. Coverage could be at risk in the 40 states that have expanded Medicaid.