MEDICAL BILLING NEWS
Keep abreast of news and information on medical billing and its impact on patients and consumers.
Archives - May, 2023
Rules prohibit debt collectors from reporting medical debt, and those rules could save your credit score.
- WANF
A group of Democratic senators is asking the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to take action against medical credit cards such as CareCredit, saying the cards’ deferred interest features are confusing and often lead to consumers paying high interest rates after a promotional period has ended
- Associated Press
Abby Osborne gave birth to a girl in the spring of 2023. Weeks after the birth the hospital sent her a bill for "baby boy's" circumcision. Her tweet went viral and she learned she's not alone when it comes to wrong medical bills.
- Business Insider
The Colorado Consumer Health Initiative’s Consumer Assistance Program recently celebrated its fifth anniversary
- The Colorado Sun
The Medical Debt Relief Program would establish the program within the Department of Health to discharge medical debt of eligible residents by contracting with a medical debt relief coordinator.
- Erie News Now
Kristi Genopolos paid the bill only to learn her insurance would cover it. Genopolos said when she asked the hospital for a refund she would get the run-a-round.
- WFMY News 2
After years of witnessing a growing telehealth industry, the Georgia General Assembly is aiming to fight surprise billing in the sector.
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bethany Birch paid more than $5,200 toward her medical debt after getting sued by Ballad Health in 2018. Owing to a Tennessee court judgment, she accrued an additional $2,700 in interest over that time.
- NPR
After a visit to the doctor or dentist, you expect your bill to be sent to insurance for payment,but that doesn’t always happen.
- NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Physician offices and clinics are increasingly outsourcing their revenue management to reduce unnecessary costs and avoid the burden of having an administrative team to ensure effective handling of in-house billing functions.
- Yahoo Finance
While people flock to crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe seeking help with their medical debts, asking strangers for money has proven a less appealing option for many patients.
- KFF Health News
Democratic and Republican lawmakers are quietly coming together to address one of the country’s biggest problems: the outrageous cost of health care.
- The Hill
A research team led by Ambar La Forgia, a business professor at Berkeley, found significant reductions in the prices paid to out-of-network anesthesiologists in states that banned surprise billing before the federal legislation came into effect.
- Forbes
Ohio House Bill 49, and it aims to make hospital prices transparent by state law and not just a federal rule.
- News 5 Cleveland
For people with state-regulated health insurance or health plans who are covered for ambulance service, out-of-network ambulance providers would not be able to send any bill higher than the in-network cost-sharing amount to the consumer.
- Capitol Weekly
A bill that seeks to stop aggressive tactics for collecting medical debt easily passed the House Economic Development/Banking/Insurance & Commerce Committee meeting Tuesday.
- Town Square Live Delaware
Credit reporting agencies would be prohibited from collecting medical debt, nor would it be included in a consumer's credit report under legislation that will be heading to Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk.
- Spectrum News 1
Average-income families who don’t have great health insurance might be stuck with massive hospital bills that could take a long time to pay off. Here’s how many hours you’d have to work to pay the average hospital bill.
- Yahoo Finance
Come September, Texas hospitals and other healthcare providers must provide patients with an itemized medical invoice before any attempts to collect money.
- KLTV
- WBTV
An insurance provider mailed out its invoice for an ambulance ride to a Greendale man. There was just one problem: It went to the wrong Karl Hackbarth.
- FOX6 News Milwaukee
A Douglas County man has discovered a medical billing issue that could impact thousands of Coloradans.
- CBS Colorado
One in 4 Americans are currently wrestling with medical debt, and those with it owe more than $7,700 on average, according to the newest survey from LendingTree.
- LendingTree / MSN
It might seem hopeless but experts share their tips on how easy it really is
- Consumer Affairs
Health system leaders maintain that policy is a last resort after numerous efforts to help patients pay, reduce debts.
- Star Tribune
The Maine House of Representatives has passed a bill that will force hospitals to comply with federal price transparency requirements.New Paragraph
- The Maine Wire
A Massachusetts woman couldn't understand why she suddenly was being asked to pay up when she had only gone for a single wellness appointment.
- WCVB
If the facility has the word “emergency” in the name, expect to pay premium prices.
- KXAN
New research published by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Office for Older Americans finds that while most people 65 and older (98%) are covered with health insurance through enrollment in programs like Medicare, many are still swamped with debt.
- Yahoo Finance
One in 10 Los Angeles County residents are burdened with medical debt, according to new research from Los Angeles County’s Department of Public Health.
- Los Angeles Times
Hospital groups remain powerful, but inflation, rising costs and headlines about questionable business practices have brought unwelcome spotlight
- Roll Call
The City Council approved a bill enabling New Yorkers to go online and see what different hospitals charge for the same service.
- New York Times
A quiet revolution is building as more of us recognize how critical it is to scrutinize every medical bill we receive.
- Aspen Daily News
When we know actual prices, we can budget for care, identify wide price discrepancies for the same treatment, and fight back against overcharging.
- Philadelphia Inquirer
The bipartisan legislation requires Colorado hospitals to comply with federal price transparency rules by posting all of their prices upfront and in full for the public to see.
- Patient Rights Advocate
- Healthcare Dive
Do Allina Health’s alleged billing practices violate MN law? The attorney general is looking into it
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is asking people who’ve experienced “aggressive billing practices” at Allina Health, or those with knowledge of the alleged practices and policies, to contact his office “so we can determine the scope of the problem and whether any laws or agreements have been broken.”
- Minnesota Public Radio
A wealthy nonprofit health system in the Midwest is among those withholding care from patients who have unpaid medical bills.
- New York Times / MSN
The Better Business Bureau is reporting a huge uptick in local residents receiving phony medical bills.
- WJAR
Patients' billing experiences can significantly impact how they view providers, with over 30% saying that a poor experience or inaccurate bill would make them consider switching providers or leave a negative review, according to Salucro's 2023 Trends in Patient Payment Communications report.
- The Advisory Board
Many Americans get ‘sticker shock’ when they see their medical bills.
- Miami Herald