Latest News On Out-of-Pocket Costs

Latest California Healthline Stories

With No Legal Guardrails for Patients, Ambulances Drive Surprise Medical Billing

Studies show that at least half of ground ambulance rides across the nation leave patients with “surprise” medical bills. And a $300-a-mile ride is not unusual. Yet federal legislation to stem what’s known as balance billing has largely ignored ambulance costs.

Health Insurers Prosper As COVID-19 Deflates Demand For Elective Treatments

With most nonemergency procedures shelved for now, many health insurers are expected to see profits in the near term, but the longer view of how the coronavirus will affect them is far more complicated and could well impact what people pay for coverage next year.

‘An Arm And A Leg’: Am I Protected If I Need COVID-19 Care?

“An Arm and a Leg” is back sharing stories about the ways COVID-19 intersects with the cost of health care. To tackle a listener’s question about health coverage, Dan Weissmann spoke with one of the country’s top insurance nerds.

With Federal Nod, Consumers Could Lose The Boost They Get From Drug ‘Coupons’

The proposal being weighed by federal officials would allow employers and insurers to decide that drug companies’ assistance doesn’t count toward their members’ deductible or out-of-pocket maximum spending limits. If plans opted for that approach, only payments made by patients themselves would be included in the calculation toward reaching those limits.