After a car accident, Frankie Cook went to the ER to make sure she didn’t have a concussion. She walked out of the hospital in the clear. Then came the bill.
Category: NPR
After being bitten by a rabid fox, a congressman wants cheaper rabies treatments
California Rep. Ami Bera was bitten by a rabid fox on Capitol Hill in April. He’s OK, but now, he wants to make sure the cost of the lifesaving treatment isn’t a burden for those who need it.
Some hospitals rake in high profits while their patients are loaded with medical debt
Across the U.S., many hospitals have become wealthy, even as their bills force patients to make gut-wrenching sacrifices. This pattern is especially stark for health care systems in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Montana health officials call for more oversight of nonprofit hospitals
Montana is one of the latest states to suggest many nonprofit hospitals aren’t giving back enough in charitable contributions to the community to justify their tax-exempt status.
Canada’s government says it will stop requiring masks on airplanes
Government officials also confirmed Canada is dropping the vaccine requirement for people entering the country at the end of the month.
Telemedicine abortions just got more complicated for health providers
Prescribing medical abortions across state lines is now risky for doctors. “We’re talking about something that’s a protected right in one state and a felony in a sister state,” says one legal scholar.
The heartbreak and cost of losing a baby in America
Even after their babies died, hospital bills kept coming. These parents of fragile, very sick infants faced exorbitant bills — though they had insurance. “The process was just so heartless,” one says.
There’s a nationwide shortage of Adderall as prescriptions reach an all-time high
NPR’s Scott Simon speaks to journalist Ike Swetlitz about the current shortage of the attention deficit disorder drug, Adderall.
High rents outpace federal disability payments, leaving many homeless
Supplemental Security Income, a federal program meant to be a financial floor for people unable to work, hasn’t kept pace with inflation. Many recipients are homeless, unable to save for an apartment.
How a Texas court decision threatens Affordable Care Act protections
The ACA has required health insurers to provide many medical screenings and other preventive services with no out-of-pocket cost to health plan members. But a recent court decision could upend that.
