Ballad Health鈥檚 Hospital Monopoly Underperformed. Then Tennessee Lowered the Bar.
Ballad Health, a state-sanctioned hospital monopoly in Tennessee and Virginia, can now be deemed a 鈥渃lear and convincing鈥 benefit to the public with performance that would earn a 鈥淒鈥 on most grading scales, according to Tennessee state documents.
A Medicaid Patient Had a Heart Attack While Traveling. He Owed Almost $78,000.
Federal law says Medicaid must cover out-of-state emergency care. But a Florida man got a five-figure bill after a South Dakota hospital declined to charge his state鈥檚 Medicaid program.
Pain Clinic CEO Faced 20 Years for Making Patients ‘Human Pin Cushions.’ He Got 18 Months.
Michael Kestner, CEO of Pain MD, was convicted of 13 fraud felonies after his company gave patients hundreds of thousands of questionable injections at clinics in Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina.
Flawed Federal Programs Maroon Rural Americans in Telehealth Blackouts
Taxpayers 鈥 through federal infrastructure programs 鈥 have paid billions of dollars to internet companies to hook up rural Americans. Some communities have nothing to show for it, leaving medically vulnerable rural patients disconnected and without access to telehealth.
The Patient Expected a Free Checkup. The Bill Was $1,430.
Carmen Aiken of Chicago thought their medical appointment would be covered because the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to pay for a long list of preventive services. But after the appointment, Aiken received a bill for more than $1,400.
Trump Administration Retreats From 100% Withholding on Social Security Clawbacks
The Social Security Administration will now withhold 50% of many recipients鈥 monthly benefits to claw back alleged overpayments 鈥 down from the 100% it announced in March, but way up from the 10% cap imposed under former President Joe Biden.
Beyond Ivy League, RFK Jr.鈥檚 NIH Slashed Science Funding Across States That Backed Trump
A 国产麻豆精品Health News analysis underscores how the terminations have spared no part of the country, politically or geographically. Of the organizations that had grants cut in the first month, about 40% are in states President Donald Trump won in November.
Rural Hospitals and Patients Are Disconnected From Modern Care
Technological gaps handicap rural hospitals as billions in federal funding to modernize infrastructure lags. The reliance on outdated technology and piecemeal systems challenge staffs and erode patient care.
For Opioid Victims, Payouts Fall Short While Governments Reap Millions
Pharmaceutical companies accused of fueling the nation鈥檚 opioid crisis are paying state and local governments billions of dollars in legal settlements. But how much are victims who suffered addiction and overdoses getting?
Firings at Federal Health Agencies Decimate Offices That Release Public Records
The Department of Health and Human Services鈥 mass firings included people who fulfill Freedom of Information Act requests for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and FDA, which result in the release of records about government handling of infectious diseases, medical products, and safety problems in health facilities.
Their Physical Therapy Coverage Ran Out Before They Could Walk Again
Health plans limit physical or occupational therapy sessions to as few as 20 a year, no matter the patient鈥檚 infirmities. The limits persist despite federal rules banning insurers from setting annual dollar limits on the care they will provide.
He Had Short-Term Health Insurance. His Colonoscopy Bill: $7,000.
After leaving his job to launch his own business, an Illinois man opted for a six-month health insurance plan. When he needed a colonoscopy, he thought it would cover most of the bill. Then he learned his plan鈥檚 limited benefits would cost him plenty.
Indiana Lawmakers Seek To Forbid Hospital Monopolies, but One Merger Fight Remains
Union Health has made a new bid to buy its only rival hospital in Terre Haute, Indiana. The system passed one hurdle after lawmakers watered down a bill that threatened the proposed deal. That means the merger will now face a likely showdown with Indiana鈥檚 new governor.
Under Trump, Social Security Resumes What It Once Called ‘Clawback Cruelty’
Last year, the government stopped cutting off people鈥檚 monthly Social Security benefits to claw back overpayments. Last week, under President Donald Trump, it reversed that change.
Millions in US Live in Places Where Doctors Don鈥檛 Practice and Telehealth Doesn鈥檛 Reach
Nearly 3 million Americans live sicker, shorter lives in the hundreds of rural counties where doctor shortages are the worst and poor internet connections mean little or no access to telehealth services.
An Ice Rink To Fight Opioid Crisis: Drug-Free Fun vs. Misuse of Settlement Cash
A decision about how to spend settlement funds in Carter County, Kentucky, which was hit hard by the opioid epidemic, offers a window into the choices that surround this windfall.
Un a帽o despu茅s del tiroteo del 14 de febrero que mat贸 a una persona e hiri贸 al menos a 24, los sobrevivientes y sus familias todav铆a tratan de rehacer sus vidas.
A Year After Super Bowl Parade Shooting, Trauma Freeze Gives Way to Turmoil for Survivors
Survivors and witnesses of gun violence often freeze emotionally at first, as a coping mechanism. As the one-year mark since the parade shooting nears, the last installment in our series 鈥淭he Injured鈥 looks at how some survivors talk about resilience, while others are desperately trying to hang on.
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.
Incineradores de basura da帽an de manera desproporcionada a hispanos
El dilema que se revela en el sur de Florida es indicativo de lo que algunos ven como una tendencia m谩s amplia en la lucha nacional por la justicia ambiental.
