Julie Appleby

A dump of tens of thousands of colossal digital files from a single insurer is not unusual, and it’ll be weeks before data firms can put the information in a usable format for employers and patients.

Even before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, whether a health plan paid for abortion varied widely. Now it’s become even more complex, with conflicts and court challenges on the horizon.

New government rules are forcing insurers to post on websites what they pay for care or be fined, allowing consumers and employers to comparison shop for health services or negotiate better rates.

Diagnosed with aggressive leukemia on a Western trip, a young man thought his insurance would cover an air ambulance ride home to North Carolina. Instead, he got stuck with an astronomical bill.

Some mental health providers object to the new requirement, which is part of the No Surprises Act. They say giving detailed cost estimates could discourage patients from getting care.

Some consumers “have gone months” without realizing someone had improperly enrolled them in ACA health plans, with tax credits that may need repaying. A proposed new rule would stop the practice.

Since January, hospitals were supposed to be disclosing true prices for their services, as a way to empower patients to shop around. Turns out, compliance is spotty and the data can be hard to find.

Generous personal injury coverage on your auto insurance policy may not be enough to cover your medical bills. Patients can get financially blindsided when car and health insurance policies differ.

Under a rule that kicked in Jan. 1, hospitals must now make public the prices they negotiate with health insurers. But health policy experts have divergent views on what that will mean for patients.

Congress has passed a long-debated measure to stop health care providers from billing patients for charges not covered by their insurance. Here’s how the new protection works.