medical debt

Patients are often told to be smart consumers and shop around for health care before they use it. But even when you do so, estimates from insurers, hospitals and doctors can be unreliable.

Iron-deficiency anemia is often remedied with drugstore iron pills. But if that doesn't work, doctors sometimes prescribe iron infusions — and the bill for that can vary by thousands of dollars. Why?

A personal trainer in Montana had a sudden need for lifesaving dialysis after his kidneys failed. But he and his wife never expected the huge bill they received for 14 weeks of care.

When patients can't afford to pay their medical bills, many hospitals offer a payment plan — or free or discounted care. But some try to collect by suing patients and garnishing their wages.

The administration's proposed adjustment to the wage index, a key factor used to set hospitals' Medicare payments, could help rural facilities while hurting those in cities.

More than half of Americans contacted about an overdue bill said it related to medical debt. Some consumer advocates say newly proposed limits on debt collectors don't do enough.

Starting in September, the three main credit agencies will wait 180 days before including medical debt on a credit report, giving consumers time to resolve disputes with insurers.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reports that 59 percent of people contacted by a debt collector had outstanding medical bills. Telecommunications and utility bills trailed far behind.

Nearly 20 percent of U.S. consumers — 42.9 million people — have unpaid medical debts, according to a new report by the Consumer Financial Protection…

Debt collection is the top consumer complaint in the nation, and hounding about medical debt accounts for a large number of those complaints, the Palm…