Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Surprise! Fixing Surprise Medical Bills Is Harder Than it Looks

Surprise medical bills — when patients receive an unexpected bill from a health provider not in their insurance network — are among the few problems in health care just about everyone wants to solve. But it turns out that no one in the health industry wants to take responsibility for paying those bills. That could complicate efforts toward a legislative fix, despite bipartisan support.

And the 2020 presidential campaign is already in full swing, with candidates staking out some surprisingly diverse positions on how to expand access to health care.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico.

Also, Rovner interviews Scott Gottlieb, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, who is stepping down in early April.

Among the takeaways from this week’s podcast:

Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read too:

Julie Rovner: Fortune’s “Death by a Thousand Clicks: Where Electronic Health Records Went Wrong,” by Erika Fry and KHN’s Fred Schulte

Joanne Kenen: NBC’s “Surprise Medical Bills Lead to Liens on Homes and Crippling Debt,” by Lindsey Bomnin and Stephanie Gosk

Anna Edney: Stat News’ “The Astounding 19-Year Journey to a Sea Change for Heart Patients,” by Matthew Herper

Alice Miranda Ollstein: The New York Times’ “States Seek Financial Relief for Family Caregivers,” by KHN’s Samantha Young

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This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

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