The Supreme Court ruled unanimously last year that HHS unlawfully cut the payments to hospitals without following proper procedure, including conducting a survey of the hospitals’ acquisition cost of the drugs from pharmaceutical drugmakers. And now, thousands of U.S. hospitals are set to recoup more than $9 billion under a proposed remedy that the federal agency rolled out this summer.
Mayo will close its clinic on Ridgeview’s Le Sueur campus on Dec. 12, according to a joint announcement Friday. Ridgeview had been leasing clinic space to Mayo Clinic Health System since 2018. A non-renewable lease ended on Aug. 31, followed by the two agreeing on a Dec. 12 departure date.
UNC Health is in the middle of a contract negotiation with UnitedHealthcare, and the hospital network said in a letter it is sending to patients that the two parties are far apart over reimbursement policies and rate increases. If the contract expires, hundreds of thousands of patients across the state would be considered out of network at UNC Health, which could lead to many patients having to find a new doctor.
There are thousands of stories that highlight both the lack of transparency in hospital billing and the inadequate patient protections in our healthcare system. Unexpected high medical expenses devastate these individuals, as compounding bills, high inflation, and the rising cost of living strain households with no relief in sight. The steady rise in healthcare costs can partly be attributed to big hospitals and private equity firms acquiring private physician practices.
Nearly two years after a surprise medical bill ban took effect, the process for settling billing disputes between insurers and providers is still mired in litigation and many cases remain unresolved.