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Mired In Medical Debt? Federal Plan Would Update Overdue-Bill Collection Methods
More than half of Americans contacted about an overdue bill said it related to medical debt. A federal agency has proposed new guidance for what debt collectors are allowed to do when pursuing many types of overdue consumer bills, including medical debt. But some consumer advocates have panned the effort.
Mired In Medical Debt? Federal Rule Changes Proposed For Bill Collectors
More than half of Americans contacted about an overdue bill said it related to medical debt. Some consumer advocates say newly proposed limits on debt collectors don’t do enough.
A Boat Crushed His Face, Then Plastic Surgeons Hit Him With $167,000 In Bills
Many plastic surgeons don’t participate in health plans, even when providing emergency care at a hospital. Too often that catches patients off guard.
Medicare’s Uncapped Drug Costs Take A Big Bite From Already Tight Budgets
Unlike many private health plans, Medicare has no cap on out-of-pocket expenses for prescription drugs in Part D. As the cost of specialty drugs rises, some Medicare patients owe thousands of dollars.
Did Your Doctor ‘Ghost’ You? An Employment Contract May Be To Blame
How “noncompete” clauses in contracts between doctors and hospitals or clinics prevent patients from seeing their longtime doctors.
New Mexico Eyes A ‘Medicaid Buy-In’ Plan To Insure More Residents
While some officials urge expansion of the Medicare system, several states are mulling a different way to ensure residents have affordable coverage: Help them buy into a Medicaid-like plan.
The High Cost Of Sex: Insurers Often Don’t Pay For Drugs To Treat Problems
Medicare and many private insurers view prescribing drugs to improve sexual function as a lifestyle issue that’s not medically necessary to pay for.
Hep C And Drug Abuse Often Go Hand In Hand, But Screening For Infection Lags
As the number of people who inject drugs has soared, the rate of hepatitis C infection has climbed steeply, too, because the disease can be tied to sharing needles. Yet many drug patients are not checked for the virus that can damage the liver.
Why Aren’t More Users Of Opioids Or Meth Screened For Hepatitis C?
As the number of people who inject drugs and share needles has soared, the rate of infection with Hep C has climbed too. Yet many drug treatment patients aren’t tested for the liver-damaging virus.
Need Health Insurance? The Deadline Is Dec. 15
Enrollment is lagging compared with last year’s pace. But experts say sign-ups tend to accelerate as the deadline nears, and many people will be automatically re-enrolled, so the final numbers could approach last year’s totals.
