The Week in Healthcare Reform
“After baby Dorian Bennett arrived two months early and spent more than 50 days in the neonatal ICU, his parents received a bill of more than $550,000 — despite having insurance.”
NICU Bill Installment Plan: That’ll Be $45,843 a Month for 12 Months, Please
Kaiser Health News | Victoria Knight | December 21, 2021
“A year after Congress came up with a fix for surprise medical bills, health insurers, hospitals and doctors are still spending millions to tailor the fine print in their favor.”
‘A Lot of Money on the Table’: Fight Brews Over Surprise Medical Bills
Politico | Megan Wilson | December 19, 2021
In a “…new consumer survey … 56% of respondents [say] that medical bills are a top source of stress.”
Paying Medical Bills Can Be an Emotionally Fraught Experience
Health Leaders Media | Alexandra Wilson Pecci | December 17, 2021
“The FDA’s move is set to open a new front in the ongoing battle over abortion rights….”
FDA Loosens Rules for Distributing Abortion Pills, Opening New Battle Fronts
Politico | Alice Miranda Ollstein | December 16, 2021
“Government attorneys expressed concerns that the Medicare direct contracting model — begun by Trump and continued under Biden — was geared to benefit specific companies.”
Medicare Privatization Scheme Faced Legal Questions About Profiteering
The Intercept | Ryan Grim, Austin Ahlman | December 14, 2021
“From 2009 to 2020, medical bills were the largest source of debt in the U.S., with a record $140 billion owed last year….”
Surge in Americans Skipping Medical Care Due to Cost, Gallup Says
CBS News | Aimee Picchi | December 14, 2021
“Employer health insurance costs spiked in 2021. … The average cost … per employee rose by 6.3%….”
Employer Insurance Costs Jumped in 2021 — And the Future Is Murky
Fierce Healthcare | Paige Minemyer | December 13, 2021
“Consolidation is rampant throughout the health industry on the insurance side and on the provider side. … It’s kind of a vicious cycle that’s both an offensive strategy and a defensive strategy.”
Health Insurance Markets Are Concentrated — and Getting More So
Managed Healthcare Executive | Joseph Burns | December 13, 2021
“The study shows that unaffordability is really concentrated among people who have very low incomes or who have poor health and high health care needs [as] the former don’t have enough money to pay, and the latter have great needs that overwhelm their ability to pay.”
One in 10 on Medicare Delays Care, Struggles With Medical Debt, Study Finds
UPI | December 10, 2021
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