An Arm and a Leg: The Woman Who Beat an $8,000 Hospital Fee
Hospital facility fees. They can feel like a charge just for walking in the door. Hospitals say they go toward overhead on facilities with lots of specialized equipment and staff,…
HealthSherpa and Insurers Team Up To Curb Unauthorized ACA Enrollment Schemes
The largest private company that brokers use to enroll people in Affordable Care Act health plans said it’s joining with insurers to thwart unauthorized Obamacare sign-ups and plan switches. HealthSherpa,…
‘A Bottomless Pit’: How Out-of-Pocket TMJ Costs Drive Patients Into Debt
Over three decades of relentless pain, Jonna Tallant has tried about every TMJ treatment: mouthguards, six sets of braces, dental crowns and appliances, drugs, physical therapy, Botox, massage, acupuncture, chiropractic…
If Lawsuit Ends Federal Mandates on Birth Control Coverage, States Will Have the Say
David Engler had been pretty sure he didn’t want children. Then a frustrating school day two years ago helped seal the deal for the now 43-year-old substitute teacher. “It was…
An Arm and a Leg: Meet the Middleman’s Middleman
Some people who expected their health insurance to cover some out-of-network care have been getting stuck with enormous bills. One Kansas City, Kansas, couple paid thousands of dollars out-of-pocket and…
Journalists Discuss Bird Flu, Tick-Borne Illnesses, and Lessons From Covid Response
KFF Health News public health local editor and correspondent Amy Maxmen discussed the bird flu outbreak on KMOX’s “Total Information AM” on June 17. Click here to hear Maxmen on…
Sobrevivientes del tiroteo en el desfile de los Chiefs esperan las donaciones prometidas mientras acumulan cuentas médicas
Abigail Arellano tiene todas las facturas médicas de su hijo Samuel en una carpeta azul en un armario arriba del microondas. Incluso ahora, cuatro meses después que el niño de…
Super Bowl Parade Shooting Survivors Await Promised Donations While Bills Pile Up
Abigail Arellano keeps her son Samuel’s medical bills in a blue folder in a cabinet above the microwave. Even now, four months after the 11-year-old was shot at the Kansas…
California Leaders Tussle With Health Industry Over Billions of New Dollars for Medi-Cal
Gov. Gavin Newsom, state lawmakers, and health industry leaders have a small window to reach an agreement on billions of new dollars for Medi-Cal before it’s put to voters in…
How Two States Reveal a Deeper Divide on Insuring Kids’ Health
Arizona and Florida lawmakers saw trouble ahead for children in 2023, with states slated — as the covid-19 pandemic waned — to resume disenrolling ineligible people from Medicaid. So, legislators…