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.
61 - 80 of 454 Results
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Patient Numbers at NIH Hospital Have Plummeted Under Trump, Jeopardizing Care
The renowned research hospital that cares for people with rare or life-threatening diseases has been pummeled by an employee exodus and the gutting of research, both driven by the Trump administration.
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A Tourist Ended Up With a Wild Bat in Her Mouth 鈥 And Nearly $21,000 in Medical Bills
Health insurance generally doesn鈥檛 cover treatment for injuries sustained shortly before a customer buys a policy. A Massachusetts woman found that out the hard way.
By Tony Leys -
The Body Shops
Cosmetic Surgeries Led to Disfiguring Injuries, Patients Allege
A joint investigation by 吃瓜不打烊 and NBC News found that cosmetic surgery chains have been the target of scores of medical malpractice and negligence lawsuits, including 12 wrongful death cases.
By Fred Schulte -
$50B Rural Health 鈥楽lush Fund鈥 Faces Questions, Skepticism
Lawmakers added a $50 billion program for rural health to President Donald Trump鈥檚 massive tax and spending package with promises it would help plug the hole left by Medicaid cuts. Rural hospital and clinic leaders worry the infusion won鈥檛 reach the right places.
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Even Grave Errors at Rehab Hospitals Go Unpenalized and Undisclosed
For-profit hospitals provide most inpatient physical therapy but tend to have worse readmission rates to general hospitals. Medicare doesn鈥檛 tell consumers about troubling inspections.
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Who鈥檚 Policing Opioid Settlement Spending? A Crowdsourced Database Might Help
Billions in opioid settlement money was meant to be spent on treating and preventing addiction 鈥 but what happens if it鈥檚 misspent? Some advocates say attorneys general need to pay closer attention. If they don鈥檛, a new tool might empower the public.
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A Texas Boy Needed Protection From Measles. The Vaccine Cost $1,400.
A family living in Galveston was surprised to be charged thousands of dollars for immunizations for their children. Their insurance plan didn鈥檛 cover the shots, and the cost of the measles vaccine in particular was more than five times what health officials say it goes for in the private sector.
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Trump Team鈥檚 Reworking Delays Billions in Broadband Build-Out
A Trump administration reworking of a $42 billion broadband expansion program will trigger delays as millions of rural Americans wait for promised connections and the telehealth services they bring.
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Ballad Health鈥檚 Hospital Monopoly Underperformed. Then Tennessee Lowered the Bar.
Ballad Health, a state-sanctioned hospital monopoly in Tennessee and Virginia, can now be deemed a 鈥渃lear and convincing鈥 benefit to the public with performance that would earn a 鈥淒鈥 on most grading scales, according to Tennessee state documents.
By Brett Kelman -
A Medicaid Patient Had a Heart Attack While Traveling. He Owed Almost $78,000.
Federal law says Medicaid must cover out-of-state emergency care. But a Florida man got a five-figure bill after a South Dakota hospital declined to charge his state鈥檚 Medicaid program.
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Pain Clinic CEO Faced 20 Years for Making Patients ‘Human Pin Cushions.’ He Got 18 Months.
Michael Kestner, CEO of Pain MD, was convicted of 13 fraud felonies after his company gave patients hundreds of thousands of questionable injections at clinics in Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina.
By Brett Kelman -
Flawed Federal Programs Maroon Rural Americans in Telehealth Blackouts
Taxpayers 鈥 through federal infrastructure programs 鈥 have paid billions of dollars to internet companies to hook up rural Americans. Some communities have nothing to show for it, leaving medically vulnerable rural patients disconnected and without access to telehealth.
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The Patient Expected a Free Checkup. The Bill Was $1,430.
Carmen Aiken of Chicago thought their medical appointment would be covered because the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to pay for a long list of preventive services. But after the appointment, Aiken received a bill for more than $1,400.
By Samantha Liss and Lauren Sausser -
Trump Administration Retreats From 100% Withholding on Social Security Clawbacks
The Social Security Administration will now withhold 50% of many recipients鈥 monthly benefits to claw back alleged overpayments 鈥 down from the 100% it announced in March, but way up from the 10% cap imposed under former President Joe Biden.
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Beyond Ivy League, RFK Jr.鈥檚 NIH Slashed Science Funding Across States That Backed Trump
A 吃瓜不打烊 analysis underscores how the terminations have spared no part of the country, politically or geographically. Of the organizations that had grants cut in the first month, about 40% are in states President Donald Trump won in November.
By Rae Ellen Bichell and Rachana Pradhan -
Rural Hospitals and Patients Are Disconnected From Modern Care
Technological gaps handicap rural hospitals as billions in federal funding to modernize infrastructure lags. The reliance on outdated technology and piecemeal systems challenge staffs and erode patient care.
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For Opioid Victims, Payouts Fall Short While Governments Reap Millions
Pharmaceutical companies accused of fueling the nation鈥檚 opioid crisis are paying state and local governments billions of dollars in legal settlements. But how much are victims who suffered addiction and overdoses getting?
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Firings at Federal Health Agencies Decimate Offices That Release Public Records
The Department of Health and Human Services鈥 mass firings included people who fulfill Freedom of Information Act requests for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and FDA, which result in the release of records about government handling of infectious diseases, medical products, and safety problems in health facilities.
By Rachana Pradhan and Brett Kelman -
Their Physical Therapy Coverage Ran Out Before They Could Walk Again
Health plans limit physical or occupational therapy sessions to as few as 20 a year, no matter the patient鈥檚 infirmities. The limits persist despite federal rules banning insurers from setting annual dollar limits on the care they will provide.
By Jordan Rau -
He Had Short-Term Health Insurance. His Colonoscopy Bill: $7,000.
After leaving his job to launch his own business, an Illinois man opted for a six-month health insurance plan. When he needed a colonoscopy, he thought it would cover most of the bill. Then he learned his plan鈥檚 limited benefits would cost him plenty.