Uninsured but Undaunted, a Surgical Patient 吃瓜不打烊ed the Globe for a Deal
When surgery became unavoidable, a man with no insurance shopped around for the best price for a hernia repair 鈥 and saved thousands by traveling out of state.
Bill of the Month
This crowdsourced investigation by 吃瓜不打烊 dissects and explains your medical bills every month in order to shed light on U.S. health care prices and to help patients learn how to be more active in managing costs.
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She Struggled To Get a Lifesaving Drug Even After Insurers Vowed To Help
Margaret Hvatum ended up in the hospital after her insurer denied coverage of a medicine she relies on to boost her immune system. Hvatum got entangled in the preapproval process, which the insurance industry has vowed to improve.
Send us your medical bill
Do you have a medical bill that is exorbitant, baffling, infuriating, or all of the above? Send it to us and tell us about your experience.
161 - 180 of 194 Results
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Watch: Price Of A Brace Brings Soccer Player To His Knees
KHN ethnic media editor Paula Andalo appeared on Telemundo, where she offered advice about how to avoid overpaying for medical equipment you may not need.
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Price Of A Brace Brings Soccer Player To His Knees
After a sports injury, Esteban Serrano owed $829.41 for a knee brace purchased with insurance through his doctor鈥檚 office. The same kind of braces sell for less than $250 online, he says.
By Paula Andalo -
Texas Lawmakers Take Aim At Surprise Medical Bills
A proposed state law with bipartisan, bicameral support is on the move in Texas. It would force hospitals and insurers to settle surprise bills 鈥 instead of relying on patients to start the mediation process. The KHN/NPR "Bill of the Month" series is a catalyst for the effort.
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Meow-ch! The $48,512 Cat Bite
An animal lover stopped to feed a hungry-looking stray cat outside Everglades National Park in Florida. First, the cat bit her finger 鈥 then the hospital billed her close to $50,000 for a treatment that typically costs about $3,000.
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Cancer鈥檚 Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls
Carol Marley has pancreatic cancer 鈥 and dealing with its financial toll has become her full-time job.
By Anna Gorman -
Texans Can Appeal Surprise Medical Bills, But The Process Can Be Draining
In Texas, many people have a right to mediation of medical bills. But the concept can be off-putting, and patients often think they need a lawyer, which isn't the case.
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Hope You’re Sitting Down: Hospital Charges $4,700 For A Fainting Spell
A 39-year-old man fainted after getting a flu shot at work, and a colleague called 911. He turned out to be fine, but the trip to the ER cost him his whole deductible.
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Trump Zeroes In On Surprise Medical Bills In White House Chat With Patients, Experts
Patients and doctors got a chance to share their nightmarish experiences with medical bills with President Donald Trump and other top White House officials.
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Insured But Still In Debt: 5 Jobs Pulling In $100K A Year No Match For Medical Bills
An Arizona couple played by the rules and bought employer-provided health insurance. But after they had a baby this year, their out-of-pocket hospital costs and doctors鈥 bills climbed to more than $12,000 鈥 and medical debt now threatens their new family.
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Massachusetts Stroke Patient Receives ‘Outrageous’ $474,725 Medical Flight Bill
After a 34-year-old woman suffered a stroke in Kansas, doctors there arranged for her to be transferred to a Boston hospital, via an Angel MedFlight Learjet. The woman and her father believed the cost of the medical flight would be covered by her private insurance. Then they got the bill.
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Refund On The Way To Latest 鈥楤ill Of The Month鈥 Patient
Ski buff Sarah Witter will get $6,358.26 back from her hospital and insurer after a careful review of her bill following the KHN-NPR story on her case.
By Jordan Rau -
Year One Of KHN’s ‘Bill Of The Month’: A Kaleidoscope Of Financial Challenges
A crowdsourced investigation in which we dissect, investigate and explain medical bills you send us.
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After Her Skiing Accident, An Uphill Battle Over Snowballing Bills
She took a bad fall on the slopes and her surgeon used a metal plate to put the splintered bones of her leg back together. When that device failed less than four months later, she and her insurer had to pay full price for the replacement plate.
By Jordan Rau -
Watch: Why Infusion Drugs Come With Sticker Shock
The story of an Ohio mom who faced an outrageous bill for a new medicine for multiple sclerosis is the latest installment in the "Bill of the Month" series, an ongoing crowdsourced investigation by KHN and NPR.
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Chronically Ill, Traumatically Billed: The $123,000 Medicine For MS
Shereese Hickson鈥檚 doctor wanted her to try the infusion drug Ocrevus for her multiple sclerosis. Even though Hickson is trained as a medical billing coder, she was shocked to see two doses of the drug priced at $123,019, with her share set at $3,620.
By Jay Hancock -
That鈥檚 A Lot Of Scratch: The $48,329 Allergy Test
A California college professor never imagined that trying to figure out what was causing her rash could add up to such a huge bill.
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Facebook Live: What About Those Sky-High Air Ambulance Costs?
This Facebook Live discussion explores an aspect of the health care cost continuum that often flies below the radar.
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Will Congress Bring Sky-High Air Ambulance Bills Down To Earth?
Medevac helicopter companies are on the radar of an FAA funding bill likely to pass the House and Senate this week.
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Taken For A Ride: After ATV Crash, Doctor Gets $56,603 Bill For Air Ambulance Trip
After an accident in an all-terrain vehicle crushed a doctor鈥檚 left arm, he was whisked by air ambulance to the closest trauma center for specialized care. Soon he was fighting over the $56,603 bill.
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The $109K Heart Attack Bill Is Down To $332. What About Other Surprise Bills?
鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel any consumer should have to go through this,鈥 says Drew Calver, who faced a life-changing surprise bill from an Austin hospital after a heart attack last year. After attention as a "Bill of the Month" patient, he paid the hospital $332. But he worries about other patients with surprise bills.
By Chad Terhune