Rachel Bluth, Kaiser Health News

Author's posts

As Congress Works To Curb Surprise Medical Bills, N.Y.’s Fix Gets Examined

A USC-Brookings analysis finds that the New York plan to resolve disputes between providers and insurers without leaving patients on the hook might actually be driving up costs in the system.

At Raucous Hearing, No Unity On Vaping Issues

A hearing before a House Oversight and Reform Committee panel on how to address the crisis of respiratory injuries related to vaping turned surprisingly partisan.

They Got Estimates Before Surgery — And A Bill After That Was 50% More

Patients are often told to be smart consumers and shop around for health care before they use it. What happens when people actually take that advice?

They Got Estimates Before Surgery — And A Bill After That Was 50% More

Patients are often told to be smart consumers and shop around for health care before they use it. What happens when people actually take that advice?

Doctors Argue Plans To Remedy Surprise Medical Bills Will ‘Shred’ The Safety Net

A case of questionable logic.

Doctors Argue Plans To Remedy Surprise Medical Bills Will ‘Shred’ The Safety Net

A case of questionable logic.

Surprise Medical Bill Legislation Takes A Step Forward, But Will It Lead To A Step Back?

A House committee approved its version of legislation to solve the problem of surprise medical bills. But the measure includes a key provision that’s got less support in the Senate.

Senate Panel Makes Surprisingly Fast Work Of ‘Surprise Medical Bills’ Package

The measure also includes a range of provisions designed to address health care costs.

1 In 6 Insured Hospital Patients Get A Surprise Bill For Out-Of-Network Care

On average, 16% of inpatient stays and 18% of emergency visits left a patient with at least one out-of-network charge, most of those came from doctors offering treatment at the hospital, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Sen. Alexander Details His Plan To Fix Surprise Medical Bills

A legislative package from Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) would handle surprise medical bills by having insurers pay them the “median in-network rate,” meaning the rate would be similar to what the plan charges other doctors in the area for the same procedure.