The House鈥檚 gigantic tax-and-spending budget reconciliation bill has landed with a thud in the Senate, where lawmakers are divided in their criticism over whether it increases the deficit too much or cuts Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act too deeply. Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office鈥檚 estimate that the bill, if enacted, could increase the ranks of the uninsured by nearly 11 million people over a decade won鈥檛 make it an easy sell. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join 国产麻豆精品Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 国产麻豆精品Health News鈥 Arielle Zionts, who reported and wrote the latest 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature, about a Medicaid patient who had an out-of-state emergency.
国产麻豆精品Health News' 'What the Health?': Cutting Medicaid Is Hard 鈥 Even for the GOP
Republicans on Capitol Hill are struggling to reach consensus on cutting the Medicaid program as they search for nearly a trillion dollars in savings over the next decade 鈥 as many observers predicted. Meanwhile, turmoil continues at the Department of Health and Human Services, with more controversial cuts and personnel moves, including the sudden nomination of Casey Means, an ally of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.鈥檚, to become surgeon general. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join 国产麻豆精品Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 国产麻豆精品Health News鈥 Lauren Sausser, who co-reported the latest 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature, about an unexpected bill for what seemed like preventive care.
国产麻豆精品Health News' 'What the Health?': American Health Gets a Pink Slip
The Department of Health and Human Services underwent an unprecedented purge this week, as thousands of employees from the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other agencies were fired, placed on administrative leave, or offered transfers to far-flung Indian Health Service facilities. Altogether, the layoffs mean the federal government, in a single day, shed hundreds if not thousands of combined years of health and science expertise. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join 国产麻豆精品Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss this enormous breaking story and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 国产麻豆精品Health News鈥 Julie Appleby, who reported and wrote the latest 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature about a short-term health plan and a very expensive colonoscopy.
In Year 7, 鈥楤ill of the Month鈥 Gives Patients a Voice
In the seventh year of 国产麻豆精品Health News鈥 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 series, patients shared their most perplexing, vexing, and downright expensive medical bills, and reporters analyzed $800,000 in charges 鈥 including more than $370,000 owed by 12 patients and their families.
鈥楤ill of the Month鈥: The Series That Dissects and Slashes Medical Bills
Since 2018, readers and listeners sent 国产麻豆精品Health News-NPR鈥檚 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 thousands of questionable bills. Our crowdsourced investigation paved the way for landmark legislation and highlighted cost-saving strategies for all patients.
国产麻豆精品Health News' 'What the Health?': Trump 2.0
As Donald Trump readies for his return to the White House 鈥 with the backing of a GOP majority in the Senate and, possibly, the House 鈥 the entire health care industry is waiting to see what happens next. Clearly on the agenda: the future of abortion and reproductive rights, Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and public health鈥檚 infrastructure. Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 国产麻豆精品Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 国产麻豆精品Health News鈥 Jackie Forti茅r, who reported and wrote the latest 国产麻豆精品Health News-Washington Post 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature, about a 2-year-old who had a very expensive run-in with a rattlesnake.
Patient Underwent One Surgery but Was Billed for Two. Even After Being Sued, She Refused To Pay.
A collection agency sought court authority to garnish a patient鈥檚 wages to pay a disputed surgery bill. But after the patient showed up in court to argue the bill was bogus, the judge declined to let the bill collector seize her money.
Her Hearing Implant Was Preapproved. Nonetheless, She Got $139,000 Bills for Months.
Even when patients double-check that their care is covered by insurance, health providers often send them bills as they haggle with insurers over reimbursement, which can last for months. It鈥檚 stressful and annoying 鈥 but legal.
It鈥檚 Called an Urgent Care Emergency Center 鈥 But Which Is It?
Suffering stomach pain, a Dallas man visited his local urgent care clinic 鈥 or so he thought, until he got a bill 10 times what he鈥檇 expected.
He Fell Ill on a Cruise. Before He Boarded the Rescue Boat, They Handed Him the Bill.
A man from Michigan was evacuated from a cruise ship after having seizures. First, he drained his bank account to pay his medical bills.
Sign Here? Financial Agreements May Leave Doctors in the Driver鈥檚 Seat
Agreeing to an out-of-network doctor鈥檚 own financial policy 鈥 which generally protects their ability to get paid and may be littered with confusing insurance and legal jargon 鈥 can create a binding contract that leaves a patient owing.
