JoNel Aleccia

JoNel Aleccia was a senior correspondent for KFF Health News until October 2022.

@JoNel_Aleccia

State Laws Ban Surprise Medical Bills. She Got One for $227K And Fought Back.

No one told a Washington state woman she was racking up massive out-of-pocket charges during a month-long emergency stay in an Oregon hospital. For six months, she and her husband were haunted by looming debt — and bill collectors.

Insured But Still In Debt: 5 Jobs Pulling In $100K A Year No Match For Medical Bills

An Arizona couple played by the rules and bought employer-provided health insurance. But after they had a baby last year, their out-of-pocket hospital costs and doctors’ bills climbed to more than $12,000 — and medical debt now threatens their new family.

No Cash, No Heart. Transplant Centers Require Proof Of Payment.

The case of a Michigan woman who was told to fundraise $10,000 for a heart transplant sparked viral outrage, but experts say such “wallet biopsies” are common. A California mother has raised nearly $24,000 in a GoFundMe campaign to pay for costs related to her adult daughter’s second kidney transplant.

‘Grossly Unfair’? Widower Takes Ban On Military Injury Claims To Supreme Court

When a young Navy lieutenant died following low-risk childbirth, her husband claimed military doctors botched her care. But his wrongful death claim was dismissed because of a 1950 ruling that bars active-duty service members from suing the U.S. government — for any reason.