Health care costs Coverage

PEG O'CONNELL: High stakes in Blue Cross restructuring. Bill needs closer look

Sunday, May 21, 2023 -- House Bill 346 would permit dramatic restructuring of Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina, the state's oldest hospital service corporation and largest health insurer. This is a big deal and it is not getting the attention it deserves.

Companies, families, seek funding boost for hard-to-fill home health care jobs

People caring for disabled family members depend on a heavily subsidized industry that often pays less than $15 an hour for help.

Travis Fain, WRAL state government reporter

Price caps help diabetics budget for insulin, other needs

In 1982, when insulin was first introduced, a vial would cost about $14. But, over the past three decades, the price has increased to an average out-of-pocket cost of $58 per insulin fill.

Doctors hope price caps reduce insulin rationing

In 1982, when insulin was first introduced, a vial would cost about $14. But, over the past three decades, the price has increased to an average out-of-pocket cost of $58 per insulin fill.

Camila Pereira, 2023 CBC-UNC Diversity Fellow

300,000 in NC could lose Medicaid coverage as pandemic-era provision ends

North Carolina's House and Senate will have to work out their differences on Medicaid expansion before it becomes a reality in the state. If expansion doesn't happen, 300,000 people in North Carolina could lose their health coverage over the next 17 months.

Keely Arthur, WRAL consumer reporter

Treasurer questions hospital CEO salaries

State Treasurer Dale Folwell is looking for answers after a new report details an explosion in hospital CEO pay over the last decade.

State treasurer questioning hospital CEO salaries

Through records requests and analyzing public financial records, the report found 11 current or former CEOs made as much as more than 570 registered nurses.

Ali Ingersoll, WRAL Journalist

UnitedHealthcare unit latest to protest state's health care contract

The company lost a bid to Aetna. Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, which had held the multibillion-dollar contract for decades, is also protesting the state's decision.

Fact check: How many Americans lack health insurance?

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who has pushed the Democratic Party to expand access for health care, said during CNN's "State of the Union" show on Dec. 11 that "We have 85 million Americans who have no health insurance." PolitiFact checks those numbers.

Amy Sherman, PolitiFact reporter

Editorial: GOP bragging rings hollow without Medicaid expansion

Monday, Nov. 21, 2022 -- If state Senate leader Phil Berger believes he can take credit for all the advances the state has made - he too must take responsibility for the devastation that has befallen families because they haven't been able to get the critical - and often life-saving - health care they've needed. Expand Medicaid now - no strings attached. Maybe the next time Berger takes to bragging, he won't need to leave "health" off his list.

NC treasurer's report slams state hospitals for profiting millions from Medicare

Hospitals are overcharging North Carolinians for health care, according to a new state report, which also concluded many hospitals are profiting from Medicare - to the tune of millions of dollars a year.

Joe Fisher, WRAL reporter

For 20-Somethings, a Confusing Rite of Passage: Finding Health Insurance

Ahead of Cal Treichler’s 26th birthday in June, he faced a common challenge for 20-somethings fortunate enough to have parents with health insurance: He had to get off their plan and find his own coverage.

Isabella Simonetti, New York Times

NC Medicaid providers say they're owed big bucks while children go without care

One year into a multibillion-dollar overhaul of North Carolina's Medicaid program, providers complain that billing delays from insurance companies that manage claims are leaving patients without full treatment and the providers with financial problems. Insurers acknowledge some problems and say answers are coming.

Travis Fain, WRAL state government reporter

NC lawmakers debate medical debt reform

House Bill 1039 would require hospitals to do more to assess whether patients are eligible for free care, and would limit how and when they can turn over a patient to collections.

Lawmakers discuss bill to reform how, when medical debt can be collected

House Bill 1039 would require hospitals to do more to assess whether patients are eligible for free care, and would limit how and when they can turn over a patient to collections.

Laura Leslie, WRAL capitol bureau chief

Sanford woman stunned after getting $236,000 surgery bill

A Sanford woman was shocked when she was left with a nearly $236,000 bill after a medical procedure.

Keely Arthur, WRAL consumer reporter

5 On Your Side fills you in on what to do if you get massive medical bills

Tonight on WRAL-TV at 6: What to do if you have health insurance and still wind up with a massive medical bill.

Cost Plus prescription savings now available in NC

After a month-long delay, Cost Plus Drug Company can finally ship to people in North Carolina.

Low cost, life saving prescriptions now available in NC

After a month-long delay, Cost Plus Drug Company can finally ship to people in North Carolina. Until now, The Tar Heel State was the only state in the country where the online prescription drug provider couldn't do business.

Keely Arthur, WRAL consumer reporter

Cost Plus offers life-changing prescription drug prices, but not if you're in NC

Prescription drugs for pennies on the dollar for what people normally pay. That's the idea behind a new online pharmacy that just launched nationally. However, if you live in North Carolina, you're out of the luck. We're the only state the new company doesn't ship to.

Keely Arthur, WRAL consumer reporter

Stakeholders agree: Hospital consolidation costs NC

North Carolina's healthcare system is more consolidated than almost any other state in the country. Republicans, Democrats, providers and insurance providers agree that's driving down competition and driving up costs.

Laura Leslie, WRAL Capitol bureau chief

More families, higher incomes now eligible for health care help

Under the ACA, subsidized healthcare is available to people with incomes up to 4 times the federal poverty level. In 2021, that's up to $106,000 a year for a family of four, or $51,520 a year for a single person.

More in NC now eligible for health insurance help

Changes made to the Affordable Care Act in 2021 mean hundreds of thousands more North Carolinians are eligible for subsidized health insurance in 2022.

Laura Leslie, WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief

NC leaders: Changes make it easier, cheaper to get health coverage

Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D., highlighted changes in federal law that make obtaining insurance through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace more affordable and available to more than 100,000 additional people in the state.

It's Sign-Up Time for Federal Health Insurance

The annual open enrollment for Affordable Care Act health insurance plans is underway, and consumers not only have more time to sign up, they are also likely to see more plan options and lower premiums for next year.

Ann Carrns, New York Times