Category: Health Care Costs

A Plan to Cut Montana’s Medicaid Waiting List Was Met With Bipartisan Cheers. Then a Veto.

Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte’s veto disappointed and bewildered those seeking to address low-income residents’ long wait for assisted living or in-home care.

KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: The Long Road to Reining in Short-Term Plans 

It took more than two years, but the Biden administration has finally kept a promise made by then-candidate Joe Biden to roll back the Trump administration’s expansion of short-term, limited-duration health plans. The plans have been controversial because, while they offer lower premiums than more comprehensive health plans, they offer far fewer benefits and are […]

Wait, What’s a PBM?

Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, are companies that negotiate the prices of prescription drugs. Hear about their role in raising drug prices and the ongoing efforts to regulate this complex industry.

As Nonprofit Hospitals Reap Big Tax Breaks, States Scrutinize Their Required Charity Spending

Nonprofit hospitals avoid paying taxes if they provide community benefits such as charity care. More states are examining that trade-off, scrutinizing the extent of hospitals’ spending on their communities.

What You Need to Know About the Drug Price Fight in Those TV Ads

At least nine bills introduced in Congress take aim at pharmacy benefit managers, the powerful middlemen that channel prescription drugs to patients.

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.”

An Arm and a Leg: Credit Card, Please

What do you do when a medical provider asks you to provide a credit card upfront? In this episode, we hear advice about your options in this situation.

An Arm and a Leg: Credit Card, Please

What do you do when a medical provider asks you to provide a credit card upfront? In this episode, we hear advice about your options in this situation.

The Hospital Bills Didn’t Find Her, but a Lawsuit Did — Plus Interest

Recovering from emergency gallbladder surgery, a Tennessee woman said she spent months without a permanent mailing address and never got a bill. She was sued by the health system two years later.

‘We’re Not Doing That’: Why a Black Couple Wouldn’t Crowdfund to Pay Off Medical Debts

Kristie Fields, a cancer patient in Virginia, was urged to go public to seek financial help. She worried about feeding hurtful stereotypes.