Bill of the Month
Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News, in collaboration with The Washington Post, examines and decodes your perplexing medical bills.
Investigations
Priced Out
Americaās 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 455 Results
-
Rural Nebraska Dialysis Unit Closes Despite the Stateās $219M in Rural Health Funding
A rural Nebraska dialysis unit that was hemorrhaging money closed, upending patientsā lives. Thatās despite a federal rural health program that granted the state more than $200 million this year to improve health care in rural communities.
-
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.
-
She Owed Her Insurer a Nickel, So It Canceled Her Coverage
When medical bills started rolling in, a teacherās aide in Florida wondered why her insurance suddenly wasnāt covering them. The answer? She owed a balance of 5 cents, so her insurer canceled her policy.
-
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 ādo their homeworkā before having liposuctions, Brazilian butt lifts, or other cosmetic procedures after an investigation into cosmetic surgery chains by Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News and NBC News.
By Fred Schulte -
Lawmakers, Health Groups Resist Their Statesā Rural Health Fund Plans
Some Republican state lawmakers and state health associations are pushing back against spending plans under the Trump administrationās $50 billion federal rural health fund. Federal administrators already approved statesā 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 ā Until It Didnāt.
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 drugmakerās copay card would cover his share, but after two months, the card was empty.
-
Wyoming Wants To Make Its Five-Year Federal Rural Health Funding Last āForeverā
State officials believe theyāve found a way to extend the life of federal Rural Health Transformation Program money Wyoming is receiving as part of last summerās One Big Beautiful Bill Act ā by investing most of it.
-
Alabamaās āPretty Coolā Plan for Robots in Maternity Care Sparks Debate
Alabama, a state with one of the nationās highest infant mortality rates, is betting on robots to help fix its maternal care crisis. But the stateās plan for telerobotic ultrasounds in rural areas has raised doubts.
-
Poison at Play: Unsafe Levels of Lead Found in Half of New Orleans Playgrounds
Verite Newsā 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.
-
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 optometristās 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 governmentās 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.
-
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 āqualityā of their plans and willingness to pass policies embracing "Make America Healthy Again" initiatives.
-
Medical Bills Can Be Vexing and Perplexing. Hereās This Yearās Best Advice for Patients.
As the crowdsourced investigative series from Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News approaches its eighth anniversary, āBill of the Monthā offers its top takeaways of 2025 to help patients manage, decipher, and even fight their medical bills.
-
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 ā 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.
-
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 āCripplingā 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 āthe worst pain of my life.ā But stomach cramps were only the beginning. Two years later, the bill came.
-
Judge in Nursing Home Bankruptcy Case Gives Families Fresh Hope of Compensation for Injuries, Deaths
Genesis HealthCareās 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 Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News investigation found Genesis settled hundreds of lawsuits but didnāt pay them out fully.
By Jordan Rau