I Got Tested for COVID-19. Then I Got Billed.
Online registration, a drive through nasal swab and a short phone call. Then my insurance company was billed $1,844. More
Why Surviving the Virus Might Come Down to Which Hospital Admits You
In New York City’s poor neighborhoods, some patients have languished in understaffed hospitals, with substandard equipment. It was a different story in Manhattan’s private medical centers. More
She Went To The ER To Try To Get A Coronavirus Test And Ended Up $1,840 In Debt
Carmen Quintero couldn't get a coronavirus test but ended up with a huge bill for trying to. She also was told to self-isolate and had no choice but to use vacation time to stay home from work. More
Lown Institute Hospitals Index
The Lown Hospitals Index is a new kind of hospital ranking, one that takes into account the full breadth of what hospitals do. More
The FDA Needs to Get Back to Basics
The agency should take every measure to ensure the safety and efficacy of prescription drugs under emergency use authorization. More
Gilead’s $2,340 price for coronavirus drug draws criticism
The maker of a drug shown to shorten recovery time for severely ill COVID-19 patients says it will charge $2,340 for a typical treatment course for people covered by government health programs in the United States and other developed countries. More
Podcast: Pandemic Fat Cats
There’s another coronavirus. This one, causing horrific swelling in cats, even killing them. Gilead Pharmacueticals might have a drug that can cure this feline coronavirus. Yet, they’re not sharing that drug, possibly because they’re scared it might harm their chances with another drug: Remdesivir. You may have heard of it; it’s the supposed ‘gold standard’ of care for COVID-19. The story of Remdesivir (and of the black market cat drug sibling) reveals how pharmaceutical companies do their research, and the lengths they go to protect their profits. More
Regeneron Funneled Kickbacks Through a Patient Charity, Federal Lawsuit Claims
The case is the latest inquiry into pharmaceutical companies’ donations to patient assistance charities, which have been blamed for inflating the cost of drugs. More
Inside the U.S.’s Largest Maximum-Security Prison, COVID-19 Raged. Outside, Officials Called Their Fight a Success.
Inmates at Angola prison in Louisiana told ProPublica of widespread illness, dysfunctional care and deadly neglect as the coronavirus outbreak hit. More
Remdesivir report sparks more debate on drug price value
How much should remdesivir cost? This question puts two drug-value organizations at odds. More
Mass. General Brigham cuts executive salaries, freezes pay for others
The state's largest health care network says cost-saving measures will affect 50,000 workers across the company. More
Most Coronavirus Tests Cost About $100. Why Did One Cost $2,315?
U.S. health care prices are unregulated, opaque and unpredictable. When Congress required insurers to cover Covid-19 testing, a few providers decided to take advantage. More
Why the pandemic has energized hospital unions
During the pandemic, unions representing front-line medical staffers have stepped forward to advocate aggressively on behalf of their members. In some cases, they've won paid sick leave and hazard pay—and nonunion workers are watching. More
Pharma sales reps still visiting doctors in the pandemic
Visits from pharmaceutical sales reps haven't stopped during the pandemic--they've just moved online... More
She Survived the Coronavirus. Then She Got a $400,000 Medical Bill.
Patients who were treated for the virus are largely supposed to be exempt from receiving large bills. One hospital erroneously sent one. More
‘Obsessed with staying alive’: Inmates describe a prison’s piecemeal response to a fatal Covid-19 outbreak
The outbreak at a California prison — described by inmates to STAT — show how a piecemeal response and prison conditions have fueled the virus' spread. More
Coronavirus survival comes with a $1.1 million, 181-page price tag
The COVID-19 patient, from West Seattle, has insurance and so isn't on the hook for the vast majority of the charge. But the gold-plated cost highlights one reason why American health care is so hard to reform. More
How Rich Investors, Not Doctors, Profit From Marking Up ER Bills
TeamHealth, a medical staffing firm owned by private-equity giant Blackstone, charges multiples more than the cost of ER care. All the money left over after covering costs goes to the company, not the doctors who treated the patients. More
John Ioannidis and Medical Tribalism in the Era of Covid-19
The critical questions the Stanford professor is raising about Covid-19 have gotten lost amid partisan bickering, write Shannon Brownlee and Jeanne Lenzer.
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U.S. Health Care Puts $4 Trillion in All the Wrong Places
America has failed the Covid-19 test, and it’s the accumulated result of policy and market decisions. More