Samantha Liss

Author's posts

The Colonoscopies Were Free. But the ‘Surgical Trays’ Came With $600 Price Tags.

Health providers may bill however they choose — including in ways that could leave patients with unexpected bills for “free” care. Routine preventive care saddled an Illinois couple with his-and-her bills for “surgical trays.”

Biology, Anatomy, and Finance? More Med Students Want Business Degrees Too

A majority of medical schools now offer dual MD-MBA programs, compared with just a quarter two decades ago. The number of medical students seeking a business degree has nearly tripled. This begs the question: Whom will these doctors serve more, patients or shareholders?

Who Polices Hospitals Merging Across Markets? States Give Different Answers

Increasingly, hospitals are merging across separate markets within states. It’s a move that health economists and the Federal Trade Commission have been closely watching, as evidence shows such mergers raise prices for patients with no improvement in care.

She Paid Her Husband’s Hospital Bill. A Year After His Death, They Wanted More Money.

A widow encountered a perplexing reality in medical billing: Providers can come after patients to collect well after a bill has been paid.

Lost Medicaid Health Coverage? Here’s What You Need to Know

Patient advocates are tackling the “overwhelming task” of connecting people with health insurance as millions lose coverage due to the end of pandemic protections on Medicaid eligibility.

Patients Squeezed in Fight Over Who Gets to Bill for Pricey Infusion Drugs

To drive down costs, insurers are bypassing hospital system pharmacies and delivering high-priced infusion drugs, including some used in chemotherapy, via third-party pharmacies. Smarting from losing out on billing for those drugs, hospitals and clinics are trying to convince states to limit this practice, known as “white bagging.”