KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES (+++)

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES KFF Health News: Hospitals Have A Little-Known Tool To Prevent Medical Debt. Here’s How It Works If you have medical debt, there’s a good chance you owe money to a hospital. One way patients can avoid medical debt is through hospital financial assistance, also known as charity care. Most of the nation’s hospitals offer free or discounted medical care to patients with very high medical debt or low incomes. Getting financial assistance, however, can be challenging. Many patients don’t know that hospitals offer financial help, surveys show, and complex application forms leave others stymied. (Evans, 10/1) https://kffhealthnews.org/health-care-costs/medical-debt-hospital-bills-presumptive-eligibility-explainer-charity-care/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8a2_ox803KGU3pXBblWUVhE0H9FTehEHVsdiirtWjl3dk5sknuTy4PME8K2aMT7bLL574uCGPhsSrlu3vwhtjLMjPlwg&_hsmi=442015843&utm_content=442015843&utm_source=hs_email KFF Health News: Healthcare Is Scary. Channel Your Fears Into A Haiku Something wicked this way comes, and it’s 5-7-5. Our annual Halloween haiku contest is back, and we’re once again summoning readers to turn the horrors of healthcare into three tiny lines of poetry. Surprise us with a verse about medical bills, insurance, hospitals, health policy, or whatever else keeps you up at night. Whether you’re inspired by a botched surgery, a ghastly charge, or insurance-induced existential dread, we want to read about it. Our newsroom’s panel of judges will choose their favorites, which we’ll share on our social channels. Winning haikus will be announced on Friday, Oct. 30. (10/1) https://kffhealthnews.org/news/halloween-haiku-contest-2026-scary-healthcare/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--QVUw3YdLKbrrZgrD03NEiI8i8NNpk6qED59HahH0o7XfwNj6W-agU4UdShgXMh2sUbXDBCdLR0XFqcQiGHe4bXwKYAg&_hsmi=442015843&utm_content=442015843&utm_source=hs_email KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’ Arielle Zionts reads the week’s news: If you’re an older patient taking a long list of medications, consider reviewing them with a primary care provider to make sure they’re helping more than hurting. Plus, states are experimenting with Medicaid meal deliveries to cut costs and improve patients’ health. (10/1) https://kffhealthnews.org/news/listen-to-the-latest-kff-health-news-minute/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9loCEPyz-bmSobcQDxFD2JTM8o8DRK7XdCmxJNSc8rx9EyxSxHmDz7H-uE2UDiKYNwdw9TiIkbiM0LSEYeuKkNlP3RKw&_hsmi=442015843&utm_content=442015843&utm_source=hs_email