bill of the month

Sugar and Greg Bull play with their twins, Redford and Scarlett, who were born prematurely in 2020. Their insurance company initially said the births were not an emergency, and the family ended up with bills totaling more than $80,000.

Health & Safety

An $80,000 surprise bill points to a loophole in a new law to protect patients

7:25am February 23, 2022

by Jay Hancock

An insurer refused to pay bills related to the premature birth of the Bull family's twins because it said their delivery wasn't an emergency and their stays in the NICU weren't medically necessary.

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Dhaval Bhatt plays Monopoly with his children, Hridaya (left) and Martand, at their home in St. Peters, Missouri. Martand's mother took him to a children's hospital in April after he burned his hand, and the bill for the emergency room visit was more than

Health & Safety

The doctor didn't show up, but the hospital ER still billed $1,012

4:42pm January 24, 2022

by Noam N. Levey

A toddler burned his hand on the stove. The pediatrician told mom over the phone to take him to the emergency room. But after a long wait for a doctor who never showed, they left. Then the bill came.

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Baby Dorian Bennett arrived two months early and needed neonatal intensive care. Despite having insurance, mom Bisi Bennett and her husband faced a bill of more than $550,000 and were offered an installment payment plan of $45,843 per month for 12 months.

Health & Safety

A hospital offered a payment plan for baby's NICU stay — $45,843 a month for a year

12:24pm December 21, 2021

by Victoria Knight

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 health insurance.

Jason Dean received six stitches and a tetanus shot after he cut his knee in May. In August, his wife, DeeAnn, feared going to the same emergency room where he was treated, delaying her diagnosis of Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Health & Safety

The ER charged him $6,589.77 for 6 stitches, a cost that led his wife to avoid the ER

4:26pm November 30, 2021

by Blake Farmer

With few options for health care in their rural community, a Tennessee couple's experience with one outrageous bill could have led to a deadly delay when they needed help the most.

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Travis Warner of Dallas got tested for the coronavirus at a free-standing emergency room in June 2020 after one of his colleagues tested positive for the virus. The emergency room bill included a $54,000 charge for one test.

The Bill For His COVID Test In Texas Was A Whopping $54,000

5:00pm September 30, 2021

by Aneri Pattani

A businessman from Dallas got a PCR test for the coronavirus at a suburban emergency room. The charge for his test was "egregious" but not illegal, say health care analysts. Here's what happened.

Ely Bair had two medically necessary jaw surgeries. For the first, in 2018, his share of the bill was $3,000. For the second, in 2019 after a job change, he was billed $27,000, even though he had the same insurance carrier.

Same Hospital And Insurer, But The Bill For His 2nd Jaw Procedure Was $24,000 More

12:17pm August 27, 2021

by Phil Galewitz

To realign the man's jaw and ease his chronic pain and high blood pressure, he would need two operations, the surgeon said. Both procedures went well, but the patient was shocked by the second bill.

For Charlie Kjelshus, "the birthday rule" meant that dad Mikkel's plan ― with a high deductible and coinsurance obligation ― was deemed her primary coverage after her stay as a newborn in the neonatal intensive care unit. Mom Kayla's more generous pla

Health & Safety

Proposed Law Would End Health Insurance 'Birthday Rule' That Snags New Parents

4:12pm July 27, 2021

by Cara Anthony

The bill, introduced by U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas, could save some parents from unexpected (and sometimes massive) medical bills.

The college student never learned what caused the intense pain that drove her to an ER, but her bill totaled $18,735.93. She and her mom, a nurse practitioner, were outraged after dissecting the charges.

A Hospital Charged More Than $700 For Each Push Of Medicine Through Her IV

12:00pm June 28, 2021

by Rae Ellen Bichell

A college student never learned the cause of intense pain that drove her to an ER, but her bill totaled $18,735.93. She and her mom, a nurse practitioner, were outraged after dissecting the charges.

For one Ohio Medicare patient, the same pain-relieving steroid shot that used to cost her about $30 went up to more than $300 just because her doctor started giving it in a hospital-affiliated clinic instead of her former office.

Her Doctor's Office Moved 1 Floor Up. Why Did Her Treatment Cost 10 Times More?

4:43pm March 26, 2021

by Lauren Weber

Same building. Same procedure. Same doctor. But there was an extra "facility fee" because the location changed slightly. A shot that used to cost her about $30 went up to more than $300.

Mikkel and Kayla Kjelshus' daughter, Charlie, had a complication during delivery that caused her oxygen levels to drop and put her at risk for brain damage. Charlie needed seven days of neonatal intensive care, which resulted in a huge bill — $207,455 f

'Birthday Rule' Blindsides First-Time Parents With A Mammoth Medical Bill

6:15pm January 27, 2021

by Cara Anthony

An insurance regulation known as "the birthday rule" is tripping up couples who are putting their newborn children on the wrong policy and risk losing thousands of dollars.

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