In Los Angeles County, the nation’s most populous, a new system could screen hospital patients for financial aid, preventing hundreds of thousands from getting bills they can’t pay.
Health Care Costs
Hidden Help: What Happened When Oregon Forced Hospitals to Boost Financial Aid?
In the second episode of our special series on medical debt, we explore lessons from Oregon’s aggressive legislation to push hospitals to prevent patients from falling into medical debt.
Hidden Help: A New Push for Hospitals to Prevent Medical Debt
Hospitals can automatically wipe out the cost of care for low-income patients. A Tradeoffs analysis finds that hospitals in Texas could be doing more to protect people from unaffordable bills.
7 Takeaways From an Investigation Into Financial Aid at Texas Hospitals
Hospitals can prevent medical debt by preemptively wiping out a patient’s bill. But a Tradeoffs analysis finds that few nonprofit facilities in Texas use this tool to the maximum benefit of patients.
Hospitals Have a Little-Known Tool to Prevent Medical Debt. Here’s How It Works.
Getting financial assistance from hospitals often involves filling out cumbersome applications. Some states now require hospitals to identify and automatically enroll patients eligible for charity care.
Beyond Finger Pointing: The Fight to Lower Health Care Costs
In a live conversation recorded at Aspen Ideas: Health, executives from a hospital, insurer and pharmacy join a top Trump administration official and leading health economist to discuss how to collectively bring down health care costs.
With Millions Expected to Lose Coverage, States Look for New Ways to Prevent Medical Debt
Economist Neale Mahoney explains the latest research on solutions to medical debt and evaluates policy fixes designed to protect consumers.
How the No Surprises Act Solved One Problem and Created Another
A conversation co-hosted by Tradeoffs and Penn LDI examines how arbitration rules are inflating payments and overwhelming the system.
Doctors Hated the No Surprises Act. Now Some Are Getting Rich Off of It.
Doctors are winning big paydays from insurers under a law intended to protect patients and rein in high prices.
How a Supreme Court Fight Over Fish Oil Could Raise Your Prescription Drug Costs
The justices are set to hear Hikma v. Amarin, a battle over drug patents that could raise costs for patients and change the way generic companies do business.
