John Oliver Forgives $15M In Medical Debt
The "Last Week Tonight" host's latest stunt-with-a-message — to buy nearly $15 million in medical debt for just $60,000 — highlights the struggle many cope with after getting sick and amassing huge bills. And although the Affordable Care Act means more people have insurance to help pay for those sky-high costs, people are still leaving the hospital with crippling debt.
The New York Times:
For His Latest Trick, John Oliver Forgives $15 Million In Medical Debt
For his latest trick, Mr. Oliver, the host of the HBO show, formed a company called Central Asset Recovery Professionals — or CARP, named after the bottom-feeding fish — and purchased $14.9 million worth of medical debt for just under $60,000. Mr. Oliver said it had cost $50 to create his company, after which he received the portfolio offering the names, current addresses and Social Security numbers of about 9,000 people. Mr. Oliver then gave the debt away, bragging that his giveaway was bigger than Ms. Winfrey’s — her car giveaway was estimated at $7 million — and completed the show by pressing a giant red button that triggered a rain shower of dollar bills. (Rogers, 6/6)
The Washington Post:
Few People Realize This Big Risk When They Go To The Hospital
More than three decades ago, emergency rooms could kick you out if doctors didn’t think you could pay. You might be suffering from a stroke, a gunshot wound or a broken spine, but if your insurance wasn’t good enough, many hospitals could slam the door in your face. This hot-potatoing of patients caused gruesome and unnecessary deaths before the practice was outlawed in 1986. Today, if you go to the hospital with an emergency, doctors pretty much have to treat you. If you have insurance, great. But even if you can’t pay, they’ll patch you up all the same. You’ll just leave the hospital with potentially crippling medical debt. Because of the health-insurance expansions under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, millions fewer Americans are likely to face that debt. (Guo, 6/6)
In other national health care news —
The Wall Street Journal:
Why Many Hospitals Are Banning Flowers And Balloons
The next time you plan to bring a gift to a friend in the hospital, check the visitor policy first. Some health-care facilities are tightening restrictions on where flowers, plants, balloons and other cheery items are allowed, citing concerns about the potential for infection, among other risks. Most intensive-care units have been no-flower zones for decades. Many hospitals now have banned latex balloons out of concern for latex allergies. Now, some are extending limitations to ICU step-down units, cardiac-care units, pediatrics, labor and delivery units. (Beck, 6/6)
The Washington Post:
Biden Unveils Launch Of Major, Open-Access Database To Advance Cancer Research
Vice President Biden on Monday announced the launch of a first-of-its kind, open-access cancer database to allow researchers to better understand the disease and develop more effective treatments. The Genomic Data Commons, a part of the National Cancer Institute, contains the raw genomic and clinical data for 12,000 patients, with more records to come as researchers contribute to it, he said. Besides detailed analyses of the molecular makeup of cancers, the database has information on which treatments were used and how patients responded. (McGinley, 6/6)
The New York Times:
New Opioid Limits Challenge The Most Pain-Prone
If you’ve come to rely on opioids for chronic pain, as a growing proportion of older adults has, you may have noticed that the drugs are becoming more difficult to get. Something had to be done, surely: More than 165,000 people died from overdoses from 1999 to 2014. But recent restrictions on access to these painkillers are likely to disproportionately affect the elderly — despite the fact that abuse and misuse of these painkillers have historically been lower among older patients than younger ones. (Span, 6/6)