Bill of the Month
吃瓜不打烊, in collaboration with The Washington Post, examines and decodes your perplexing medical bills.
Investigations
Priced Out
America鈥檚 Health Insurance Crisis
Common Ground
Americans are split over many issues, but helping people with cancer and other serious illnesses retains broad bipartisan support.
21 - 40 of 454 Results
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States Pay Deloitte, Others Millions To Comply With Trump Law To Cut Medicaid Rolls
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act will add red tape and restrictions for those seeking Medicaid and SNAP benefits. And the costs to update computer systems that determine eligibility for those programs will be steep.
By Samantha Liss and Rachana Pradhan -
Inside the High-Stakes Corporate Fight Over Feeding Preterm Babies
Behind their warm-and-fuzzy marketing, infant formula industry giants Abbott, maker of Similac products, and Mead Johnson, maker of the Enfamil line, have turned neonatal intensive care units into arenas of brutal competition.
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She Owed Her Insurer a Nickel, So It Canceled Her Coverage
When medical bills started rolling in, a teacher鈥檚 aide in Florida wondered why her insurance suddenly wasn鈥檛 covering them. The answer? She owed a balance of 5 cents, so her insurer canceled her policy.
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Give and Take: Federal Rural Health Funding Could Trigger Service Cuts
States are rolling out plans for their share of a $50 billion fund meant to improve rural health care. In some states, the money may provoke rural hospitals to cut services.
By Aaron Bolton, MTPR and Arielle Zionts -
Cosmetic Surgery Investigation Prompts Warnings for Patients, and a Push for Tighter Safety Standards
A national plastic surgeons group is warning people to 鈥渄o their homework鈥 before having liposuctions, Brazilian butt lifts, or other cosmetic procedures after an investigation into cosmetic surgery chains by 吃瓜不打烊 and NBC News.
By Fred Schulte -
Lawmakers, Health Groups Resist Their States鈥 Rural Health Fund Plans
Some Republican state lawmakers and state health associations are pushing back against spending plans under the Trump administration鈥檚 $50 billion federal rural health fund. Federal administrators already approved states鈥 plans, but in many cases, state lawmakers must greenlight spending.
By Arielle Zionts and Sarah Jane Tribble -
He Needs an Expensive Drug. A Copay Card Helped 鈥 Until It Didn鈥檛.
Diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, a California man was prescribed a drug that costs thousands of dollars a month. He said he was reassured that the drugmaker鈥檚 copay card would cover his share, but after two months, the card was empty.
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Wyoming Wants To Make Its Five-Year Federal Rural Health Funding Last 鈥楩orever鈥
State officials believe they鈥檝e found a way to extend the life of federal Rural Health Transformation Program money Wyoming is receiving as part of last summer鈥檚 One Big Beautiful Bill Act 鈥 by investing most of it.
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Alabama鈥檚 鈥楶retty Cool鈥 Plan for Robots in Maternity Care Sparks Debate
Alabama, a state with one of the nation鈥檚 highest infant mortality rates, is betting on robots to help fix its maternal care crisis. But the state鈥檚 plan for telerobotic ultrasounds in rural areas has raised doubts.
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Poison at Play: Unsafe Levels of Lead Found in Half of New Orleans Playgrounds
Verite News鈥 reporters tested soil in more than 80 playgrounds for lead contamination. Even in trace amounts, lead exposure in children can result in lower IQs, learning challenges, and behavioral issues.
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Blurry Line Between Medical and Vision Insurance Leaves Patient With Unexpected Bill
A Wisconsin retiree with glaucoma needed her eyes examined. Her Medicare Advantage plan from UnitedHealthcare listed her optometrist鈥檚 clinic as in-network, but she learned the hard way that a clinic can be in-network and out-of-network at the same time.
By Tony Leys -
This Teen Never Got His Day in Vaccine Court. His Former Lawyer Now Advises RFK on Its Overhaul.
The federal government鈥檚 Vaccine Injury Compensation Program was supposed to help patients with their medical bills while protecting vaccine supply. But allies of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are routinely transferring cases from that program to launch lawsuits against drugmakers.
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States Race To Launch Rural Health Transformation Plans
Every state will receive at least $100 million annually from the federal Rural Health Transformation fund, but some scored millions more based on how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services judged the 鈥渜uality鈥 of their plans and willingness to pass policies embracing "Make America Healthy Again" initiatives.
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Medical Bills Can Be Vexing and Perplexing. Here鈥檚 This Year鈥檚 Best Advice for Patients.
As the crowdsourced investigative series from 吃瓜不打烊 approaches its eighth anniversary, 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 offers its top takeaways of 2025 to help patients manage, decipher, and even fight their medical bills.
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After Outpatient Cosmetic Surgery, They Wound Up in the Hospital or Alone at a Recovery House
Some patients who had liposuction or other surgeries later required emergency hospital care 鈥 and some died, court records show.
By Fred Schulte -
Baltimore Drove Down Gun Deaths. Now Trump Has Slashed Funding for That Work.
A spike in shootings during the covid pandemic propelled community violence intervention, a field that aims to stop gun deaths at the root. Baltimore used federal funds to launch a violence prevention office. But President Donald Trump has throttled such funds and instead is sending troops into cities.
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Guns Marketed for Personal Safety Fuel Public Health Crisis in Black Communities
During the covid pandemic, gun marketers told many Americans they needed firearms to defend against criminals and protesters. Then firearm deaths mounted rapidly in racially segregated and low-income neighborhoods, according to federal data.
By Fred Clasen-Kelly and Daniel Chang -
Scorpion Peppers Caused Him 鈥楥rippling鈥 Pain. Two Years Later, the ER Bill Stung Him Again.
Homemade hot sauce sent a Colorado man to the emergency room with what he called 鈥渢he worst pain of my life.鈥 But stomach cramps were only the beginning. Two years later, the bill came.
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Judge in Nursing Home Bankruptcy Case Gives Families Fresh Hope of Compensation for Injuries, Deaths
Genesis HealthCare鈥檚 controlling investor, Joel Landau, had sought to rebuy the nursing homes while gaining protection from settlement payments over allegations of poor care. A judge rejected the proposal and ordered a new auction. A 吃瓜不打烊 investigation found Genesis settled hundreds of lawsuits but didn鈥檛 pay them out fully.
By Jordan Rau -
In the Vast Expanses of Indian Country, Broadband Gaps Create Health Gaps, Too
On Idaho鈥檚 remote Fort Hall Reservation, thousands live without reliable high-speed internet, which supports health care, education, and daily life. Facing delays and wavering federal policy, Frances Goli is determined to spend more than $22 million in federal grant money before she runs out of time.