Merkley, colleagues introduce ‘Medical Debt Relief Act’
WASHINGTON (KTVZ) Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., teamed up with Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) on Wednesday to lead three senators and 46 representatives in the introduction of the
Medical Debt Relief Act legislation that would remove paid-off or settled medical debt from a patient’s credit report and institute a year-long waiting period before new medical debt can be reported.
“There is nothing more outrageous than the fact that after a family has paid their medical debt, their credit is still destroyed as if that debt remains unpaid,” said Merkley. “Credit agencies are repeatedly kicking families when they’re down and struggling to get back up, and in the middle of this devastating pandemic, it’s long past time we fix that.”
Susan Leslie was elated to get the COVID vaccine weeks before she expected. She got her first dose in mid-January through a major hospital system in Central Texas. But that excitement turned to disappointment when she was asked to pay a $51 charge for the shot administration. “I really got angry, and I think that’s […]
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New Report: 36% of Patients Sacrifice Medications to Afford Basic Needs
New Report: 36% of Patients Sacrifice Medications to Afford Basic Needs
The 2021 Medication Access Report emphasizes medication access barriers further impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and technology that can make a difference
PR Newswire
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 26, 2021
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ The impact from the COVID-19 pandemic caused tens of millions of Americans to lose their jobs, health insurance and, for some, access to their medications.1 New research released today by CoverMyMeds found that 65 percent of patients were financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic2 and 36 percent sacrificed their treatments or medications to pay for bills and basic needs.2 Others have done the inverse: 43 percent have had to forgo paying for essential items and bills to afford needed medications,2 while 41 percent have skipped or modified medicat
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As COVID-19 cases soar and vaccine rollout evolves, hospitals are also working to comply with a federal price transparency rule that took effect on Jan. 1.
The American Hospital Association (AHA) has argued that the rule – which requires hospitals to post the prices insurers actually pay for services – will harm hospital negotiations with insurers, require vast resources to implement, and yield little benefit for consumers. But a federal appeals court in December ruled against the group s legal challenge, and now hospitals across the country are working to comply. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and staunch supporters of the rule say that it s a critical new step towards driving down out-of-control healthcare costs.