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MEDICAL BILLING NEWS
Keep abreast of news and information on medical billing and its impact on patients and consumers.
2023, August
The most common complaints against providers were for surprise billing, while the top complaints for health plans included incorrectly calculating qualifying payment amounts.
- Healthcare Dive
Managing hospital bills after childbirth isn’t all that different from delivering a baby all over again.
- The CUT
- Tech Target
All too often, the office or hospital will send a bill before it is run through insurance. That's not the true bill!
- WFMY
The bill requires health insurance companies to reimburse for ambulance services that are not part of a person’s coverage plan. It also allows for out-of-network ambulance providers to receive payments from health insurance operators at locally set rates or a capped rate based on Medicare benchmarks.
- WPTA
There are more than 4,600 hospitals in the U.S., and 49% of them are nonprofit and therefore tax-exempt. The CEOs of these nonprofit health systems now earn, on average, $1.3 million a year.
- NPR
Hospitals persistently spread the myth that they are losing money on Medicare in order to justify large markups to patients with private coverage. The facts tell a different story:
- More than half of hospitals make money on Medicare.
- One-third make money on Medicaid.
- Nine percent of hospitals pad their bottom line by collecting more money for charity care than they pay out.
- Third Way
Hospitals add facility fees to help pay for their general operating costs, but insurance plans often don't cover them and patients are often surprised by them.
- Portland Press Herald
- WANF
The law prohibits a medical creditor or medical debt collector from reporting a patient's medical debt to any consumer reporting agency, for health care services performed on or after the date of the bill.
- TAPinto
A new report finds Washingtonians are worried about the rising costs of health care -- in some cases even avoiding treatment because of the price tag.
- Washington News Service
All debt isn't created equal. Experian, Equifax & Trans Union give more leniency for medical debt.
- WFMY
The 5th Circuit Court’s decision vacates instructions that arbiters should first consider the qualifying payment amount in deciding payments over contested out-of-network bills.
- Healthcare Dive
Indiana’s nonprofit hospitals have sued thousands of Hoosiers since 2019
- The Indiana Capital Chronicle
Forty-five percent of 7,873 insured adults surveyed nationwide relayed being billed for a service they thought should have been covered.
- CBS
The Commonwealth Fund national survey report found that 47% of people with insurance denials said their health conditions worsened as a result.
- WHYY
New ParagraphA study by physicians in the Journal of the American Medical Association describes a pattern of selling land, equipment and other resources after private equity acquires hospitals.
- NBC News
The legislation prohibits a medical creditor or medical debt collector from reporting a patient’s medical debt to any consumer reporting agency for health care services performed on or after the effective date of the bill.
- New Jersey Business
- Colorado Politics
- Cox Media Group
Elected officials and law enforcement are warning locals after several dozen people in Glendale received mail believed to be related to a possible medical bill fraud scam.
- Queens Daily Eagle
The survey, from the Commonwealth Fund in New York City, found 45% of working-age consumers last year were erroneously billed, however, fewer than half of those patients challenged their health insurance company or a medical provider about the unexpected charges.
- USA Today
Close to half (45%) of insured workers have received a bill or co-pay in the past year for a service they thought should have been paid by health insurance, a Commonwealth Foundation survey shows.
- UPI