College Tuition Sparked a Mental Health Crisis. Then the Hefty Hospital Bill Arrived.
A student sought counseling help after feeling panicked when she had trouble paying a big tuition bill. A weeklong stay in a psychiatric hospital followed 鈥 along with a $3,413 bill. The hospital soft-pedaled its charity care policy.
Baby Blues: First-Time Parents Blindsided by 鈥榯he Birthday Rule鈥 and a $207,455 NICU Bill
Charlie Kjelshus needed neonatal intensive care for the first seven days of her life. The episode generated huge bills, and left her parents in a tangle of red tape that involved two insurers, two hospitals and two states.
Retiree Living the RV Dream Fights $12,387 Nightmare Lab Fee
A gynecologist in Carlsbad, New Mexico, tested the 60-year-old grandmother for various sexually transmitted infections without her knowledge. Her share of the lab fee was more than $3,000.
Readers and Tweeters Defend Front-Line Nurses and Blind Us With Science
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
After Kid鈥檚 Minor Bike Accident, Major Bill Sets Legal Wheels in Motion
It was a surprise even in a family of lawyers. The process called 鈥渟ubrogation鈥 began with one Nevada family鈥檚 health insurer denying their claim for an emergency room visit after 9-year-old fell off his bike.
KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: As Cases Spike, White House Declares Pandemic Over
Former President Barack Obama says President Donald Trump is 鈥渏ealous of COVID鈥檚 media coverage.鈥 Indeed, Trump has complained at his rallies, attended by mostly maskless supporters, about how the media covers the pandemic 鈥 at a time when cases are rising rapidly across the nation. Meanwhile, open enrollment is about to begin for the Affordable Care Act in a year when many people need coverage, but the law鈥檚 future is not secure. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN鈥檚 Anna Almendrala about the latest KHN-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 installment.
Savvy Patient Fought for the Price She Was Quoted 鈭 And Didn鈥檛 Give Up
A California woman thought the discount on her coinsurance before an operation sounded too good to be true. Turns out, she was right.
Moved by Plight of Young Heart Patient, Stranger Pays His Hospital Bill
A retired college professor in Las Vegas saw Matthew Fentress鈥 story and felt called to help. So she paid off $5,000 of his medical bill. 鈥淲hen you help other people, it gives you joy,鈥 the Good Samaritan said.
Watch: Young Man Faces Medical Bankruptcy 鈥 Even With Insurance
“CBS This Morning” tells the story of Matthew Fentress, a young man who has had serious heart disease for six years. It’s the latest story in the ongoing crowdsourced Bill of the Month investigation.
Heartbreaking Bills, Lawsuit and Bankruptcy 鈥 Even With Insurance
With health insurance that can leave him on the hook for more than a quarter of his salary every year, a Kentucky essential worker who has heart disease is one of millions of Americans who are functionally uninsured. At only 31, he has already been through bankruptcy and being sued by his hospital. This year, he faced a bill for more than $10,000.
Veteran鈥檚 Appendectomy Launches Excruciating Months-Long Battle Over Bill
An uninsured Colorado man owed $80,232 after two surgeries 鈥 the second to correct a complication from the first. After months of negotiating with the hospital, he still owes far more than most insurers would pay for the surgery he had.
鈥楢n Arm and a Leg鈥: How to Fight Bogus Medical Bills Like a Bulldog
When a colleague brings a medical billing problem to human resources director Steve Benasso 鈥 he goes to battle. 鈥淚 am a bulldog on this stuff,鈥 he said. In this episode, Benasso tells how he does it.
Watch: When a Surprise Helper During Surgery Is Out-of-Network
“CBS This Morning” features the July installment of KHN-NPR’s Bill of the Month about a surgical assistant’s out-of-network bill for helping during knee surgery.
Ever Heard of a Surgical Assistant? Meet a New Boost to Your Medical Bills
A college student鈥檚 bill for outpatient knee surgery is a whopper 鈥 $96K 鈥 but the most mysterious part is a $1,167 charge from a health care provider she didn鈥檛 even know was in the operating room.
COVID Catch-22: They Got A Big ER Bill Because Hospitals Couldn鈥檛 Test For Virus
Americans who had coronavirus symptoms in March and April are getting big hospital bills 鈥 because they were not sick enough to get then-scarce COVID tests. Some insurers say they are trying to correct these bills, but patients may have to put up a fight.
Trabajadora esencial recibe una factura pand茅mica de $1,840 por COVID
Ten cuidado si tu m茅dico te env铆a a la sala de emergencias para una prueba de COVID, porque cualquier atenci贸n adicional que recibas all铆 podr铆a tener un alto precio.
Essential Worker Shoulders $1,840 Pandemic Debt Due To COVID Cost Loophole
Carmen Quintero had symptoms of COVID-19, couldn鈥檛 get tested and ended up with a huge bill. She also was told to self-isolate and assume she had the coronavirus 鈥 which is hard when you live with elders.
COVID-Like Cough Sent Him To ER 鈥 Where He Got A $3,278 Bill
A dad in Denver tried to do everything right when COVID symptoms surfaced. Still, he ended up with a huge bill from an insurer that had said it waived cost sharing for coronavirus treatment. What gives?
El Congreso dijo que los tests de COVID-19 deb铆an ser gratuitos, pero 驴qui茅n paga?
A fines de marzo, el Congreso aprob贸 dos leyes, que esencialmente establecieron no solo que las pruebas para COVID ten铆an que estar cubiertas, sino que los pacientes no deb铆an pagar un centavo.
Congress Said COVID-19 Tests Should Be Free 鈥 But Who’s Paying?
Some large employers interpreted themselves as exempt from new federal laws that say tests for the coronavirus should be free to patients. Large academic medical centers are holding back from sending bills to these patients to avoid a backlash over surprise billing.
