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News Articles: health insurers

Since 2018, "Bill of the Month" has investigated medical bills totaling almost $6.3 million — including nearly $2.8 million that patients were expected to pay out-of-pocket. Cited at statehouses, the U.S. Capitol, and the White House, the series has led to changes in health policy.

'Bill of the Month': The series that dissects and slashes medical bills

Since 2018, readers and listeners sent KFF Health News-NPR's "Bill of the Month" thousands of questionable bills. Our crowdsourced investigation paved the way for landmark legislation and highlighted cost-saving strategies for all patients

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By:
  • Elisabeth Rosenthal and
  • KFF Health News staff
Interference by insurers is driving mental health care providers to flee networks. It makes treatment hard to find. Some states are passing laws to protect patients.

Insurers can restrict mental health care. What laws protect patients in your state?

It can be really hard to get mental health care in the U.S. Even if you find a therapist in network, your insurer can refuse to cover the prescribed treatment. Here are the laws protecting patients.

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By:
  • Annie Waldman and
  • Maya Miller
Top row, from left: Marsinah Ramirez Buchan, Philip Bender, Elizabeth Fisher. Bottom row, from left: Rosanne Marmor, Kendra F. Dunlap, and Carter J. Carter.

Finding a therapist who takes your insurance can be nearly impossible. Here's why

Getting mental health care covered by insurance can be really tough. Reporters spoke to hundreds of therapists who left their insurance networks to find out why.

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By:
  • Annie Waldman,
  • Maya Miller,
  • and 2 more
Shaunti Meyer, medical director at the STRIDE Community Health Center in Aurora, Colo., says she discloses her sexual orientation to patients when it feels appropriate.

Some physicians are uneasy as Colorado collects providers' diversity data

To advance health equity, the state is requiring insurers that offer public option plans to collect demographic data on providers, including race and sexual orientation, raising privacy concerns.

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By:
  • Markian Hawryluk