Author: Naveen Kumar

Loading… Some lost their homes. Some emptied their retirement accounts. Some struggled to feed and clothe their families. Medical debt now touches more than 100 million people in America, as the U.S. health care system pushes...

Waiting for their turn in the emergency room, dazed-looking parents in winter coats bounced crying children in their arms, trying to catch the eye of Dr. Erica Michiels. Us! Pick us next! they seemed to plead with tired eyes....

Doctors are urging Congress to call off cuts scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1 in the reimbursements they receive from Medicare. In what has become an almost yearly ritual, physician groups are arguing that patients will have...

We spent several weeks thinking … perhaps our only route is to declare bankruptcy.Jeff King Jeff King, 63, Lawrence, Kansas Approximate Medical Debt: $160,000 Medical Issue: Heart ablation What Happened: Kareen King calls it...

Despite growing evidence of the harm caused by medical debt, hundreds of U.S. hospitals maintain policies to aggressively pursue patients for unpaid bills, using tactics such as lawsuits, selling patient accounts to debt buyers,...

Earlier this year, Grace Elizabeth Elliott got a mysterious hospital bill for medical care she had never received. She soon discovered how far a clerical error can reach — even across a continent — and how frustrating it can be...

“If you need people to be there for the country and to fight for the country, why would you hold them up for a medical bill?”Samaria Bradford Samaria Bradford, 27, Goldsboro, North Carolina  Approximate Medical Debt:...

“It’s like you’re being punished for being sick.”Penelope Wingard Penelope Wingard, 58, Charlotte, North Carolina  Approximate Medical Debt: More than $50,000  Medical Issue: Breast cancer  What Happened:...

“My stress was off the charts.”David Zipprich David Zipprich, 65, Fort Worth, Texas  Approximate Medical Debt: More than $200,000  Medical Issue: Diabetes and covid-19  What Happened: David Zipprich, a Fort Worth...

“I don’t buy a lot of food. Just plain and simple.” Monica Reed Monica Reed, 60, Knoxville, Tenn.  Approximate Medical Debt: $10,000  Medical Issue: Cancer  What Happened: Monica Reed considers herself luckier...

Waiting for their turn in the emergency room, dazed-looking parents in winter coats bounced crying children in their arms, trying to catch the eye of Dr. Erica Michiels. Us! Pick us next! they seemed to plead with tired eyes....

Doctors are urging Congress to call off cuts scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1 in the reimbursements they receive from Medicare. In what has become an almost yearly ritual, physician groups are arguing that patients will have...

When a group of physicians gathered in Washington state for an annual meeting, one made a startling revelation: If you ever want to know when, how — and where — to kill someone, I can tell you, and you’ll get away with it....

Earlier this year, Grace Elizabeth Elliott got a mysterious hospital bill for medical care she had never received. She soon discovered how far a clerical error can reach — even across a continent — and how frustrating it can be...

“If you need people to be there for the country and to fight for the country, why would you hold them up for a medical bill?”Samaria Bradford Samaria Bradford, 27, Goldsboro, North Carolina  Approximate Medical Debt:...

“It’s like you’re being punished for being sick.”Penelope Wingard Penelope Wingard, 58, Charlotte, North Carolina  Approximate Medical Debt: More than $50,000  Medical Issue: Breast cancer  What Happened:...

“My stress was off the charts.”David Zipprich David Zipprich, 65, Fort Worth, Texas  Approximate Medical Debt: More than $200,000  Medical Issue: Diabetes and covid-19  What Happened: David Zipprich, a Fort Worth...

“I don’t buy a lot of food. Just plain and simple.” Monica Reed Monica Reed, 60, Knoxville, Tenn.  Approximate Medical Debt: $10,000  Medical Issue: Cancer  What Happened: Monica Reed considers herself luckier...

We spent several weeks thinking … perhaps our only route is to declare bankruptcy.Jeff King Jeff King, 63, Lawrence, Kansas Approximate Medical Debt: $160,000 Medical Issue: Heart ablation What Happened: Kareen King calls it...

Despite growing evidence of the harm caused by medical debt, hundreds of U.S. hospitals maintain policies to aggressively pursue patients for unpaid bills, using tactics such as lawsuits, selling patient accounts to debt buyers,...