MEDICAL BILLING NEWS
Keep abreast of news and information on medical billing and its impact on patients and consumers.
Archive January, 2024
A New Jersey resident says something needs to be done about expensive ambulance rides, after her son received a costly bill for transportation between hospitals.
- NorthJersey.com
Lots of questions remain unanswered after people are receiving bills from the recently closed Avail Hospital in Lake Charles.
Multiple patients of the former hospital are saying they got a bill in the mail for an amount they do not owe months after their last visit.
- KPLC
AHIP and BCBSA also took aim at providers for allegedly abusing the billing dispute resolution process set up by No Surprises in the latest salvo over the polarizing law.
- Healthcare Dive
Chantal Panozzo and her husband, who live in the Chicago suburbs, expected their first routine colonoscopies would be free — fully covered by insurance as preventive care under federal law. Then they were billed hundreds of dollars for what was described to them as “surgical trays.”
- KFF Health News
Facility fees drive up health care costs, said Cheryl DeMars, CEO of The Alliance, a Madison-based group of 340 employers that purchase medical services together. The fees are sometimes covered by insurance but often leave patients, especially those with high-deductible plans, paying out of pocket, DeMars said.
- Wisconsin State Journal
U.S. Sens. Mike Braun (R-Indiana) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) are coming out with their latest shared issue: stricter price transparency standards in health care.
- Daily Journal
A third of healthcare consumers believe Congress should prioritize hospital price transparency.
- RevCycle Intelligence
- PIRG
Hospitals see getting bigger as a way to survive in an industry dominated by large, national insurance companies. But economists point to trends that mergers often lead to higher prices and less access for some patients
- Kansas City Beacon
Mayo Clinic doctors reevaluated the bill after 12News began asking questions.
- KPNX-TV
How much does a two-night hospital stay in Washington really cost?
- Seattle Times
Donna Lewis had surgery to repair a hernia related to her liver transplant almost two years ago. An unrelated diagnosis code nearly left her footing a $42,000 bill.
- 12 News (Phoenix)
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has made medical debt relief a top priority in the coming year.
- Chief Healthcare Executive
An upturn in the number of providers charging for messages suggests organizations now see e-visits as a long-term source of potential revenue, researchers said.
- Healthcare Dive
People with health insurance may now represent the majority of debtors American hospitals struggle to collect from, according to medical billing analysts.
- The Guardian
- Lown Institute
A Crown Point family got their $9,000 bill for their daughter's ambulance ride greatly reduced after a 13 Investigates story.
- WTHR
Monterey County hospitals are among the most expensive in the state
- KQED
Most hospitals don’t meet new medical billing measures added to the Leapfrog Group’s 2022 survey, a recent study shows.
- RevCycle Intelligence
Gov. Kathy Hochul today proposed limiting the ability of hospitals such as Upstate University Hospital to sue people with limited incomes over unpaid medical bills.
- Syracuse.com
A Colorado family found themselves in an expensive dilemma with a medical helicopter company. After taking hospital workers’ advice to put their newborn on a medical helicopter, they now are battling a $60,000 bill — and wondering why the flight was necessary in the first place.
- Fox 31 Denver
Surprise ambulance bills can leave families deeply in debt after a medical emergency. A new state law that forces insurance companies to negotiate payments is expected to save Californians tens of millions of dollars a year.
- Cal Matterrs
Check out 2023’s stories below to learn more about how you can protect yourself and your loved ones from a big, unexpected, or downright wrong bill.
- KFF Health News