health care costs

The federal government’s arcane process for medical coding is influencing which reconstructive surgery options are available, creating anxiety for breast cancer patients.

Despite increases in assets among middle-class Americans in recent years, 80 percent of older adults would be unable to afford two years of long-term care, according to data from the National Council on Aging.

After emergency surgery, an American expatriate now carries the baggage of a five-figure bill. Costs for medical care in the U.S. can be two to three times the rates in other developed countries.

With little or no income, disability applicants are seeking Social Security early retirement benefits even though it could cost them tens of thousands of dollars in future income, lawyers say.

Reckless behavior with money can be a warning sign of cognitive decline — and the condition can put people at risk of financial ruin. There are few institutional safeguards in place.

Americans paid an estimated $1 billion in interest on medical debt in just three years, a federal agency finds. This includes use of credit cards often pitched in doctors' and dentists' offices.

Doctors rushed a pregnant Winter Haven woman to a surgeon in Coral Gables who charged thousands upfront just to see her. The case reveals a gap in medical billing protections for those with rare, specialized conditions.

Horizon Therapeutics, which Amgen is acquiring for about $28 billion, grew large by snapping up cheap drugs from other companies, marketing them to perfection, and jacking up prices.

Georgia is among 35-plus states that have used an under-the-radar federal funding mechanism to boost payments for hospitals and other providers under Medicaid. But oversight makes it hard to tell if the “directed payments” program is meeting its goals.

The safety nets meant to help often fall short, say cancer physicians and health policy experts who study access to care. Some patients find it easier to play the odds.