Latest Morning Briefing Stories
In America, Cancer Patients Endure Debt on Top of Disease
Medical breakthroughs mean cancer is less likely to kill, but survival can come at an extraordinary cost as patients drain savings, declare bankruptcy, or lose their homes, a KHN-NPR investigation finds.
Seeking to Kick-Start Biden’s Agenda, Schumer Unveils Bill for Medicare Drug Price Negotiations
In addition to allowing federal officials to negotiate the price that Medicare pays for some drugs, the bill would cap annual out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries at $2,000. But before Democrats can pass the bill under special rules that prevent Republicans from staging a filibuster, they must get approval from the Senate parliamentarian.
‘Free’ Screening? Know Your Rights to Get No-Cost Care
Even a decade in, the Affordable Care Act’s recommendations to simply cover preventive screening and care without cost sharing remain confusing and complex.
How Much Health Insurers Pay for Almost Everything Is About to Go Public
New government rules force health insurers to publicly disclose what they pay for just about every service. That information could help consumers and employers know whether they’re getting a fair deal.
How to Get Rid of Medical Debt — Or Avoid It in the First Place
Medical bills can add stress to the already stressful experience of dealing with a medical crisis. And if you can’t pay those bills, they can linger, wreaking havoc on your financial goals and credit. Here’s how to protect yourself.
Cómo evitar, o deshacerse, de una deuda médica
Más de 100 millones de personas en el país, con o sin seguro de salud, tienen deudas médicas. Saber navegar un complejo sistema de facturación y “trampas” puede ayudar a saldarlas sin caer en bancarrota, o evitarlas.
Government Watchdogs Attack Medicare Advantage for Denying Care and Overcharging
The Government Accountability Office and the Health and Human Services inspector general’s office say seniors enrolled in the program are suffering and taxpayers are getting bilked for billions of dollars a year.
Listen: He Was Denied Care Because He Owed His Doctor Less Than $100
NPR’s “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered” interview KHN’s Noam N. Levey about the problem of crippling medical debt in America.
‘American Diagnosis’: Indigenous Advocates Work for Better Reproductive Care
From forced sterilizations in the 1960s to scant access to abortion care today, barriers to health care threaten Native people’s reproductive autonomy. Episode 7 explores efforts to protect and expand Native Americans’ access to comprehensive reproductive and sexual health care.
His-and-Hers Cataract Surgeries, But His Bill Was 20 Times as Much
Whether a simple operation is performed under the auspices of a hospital or at an independent surgery center can make a huge difference in cost.