NPR-Kaiser Health News Bill Of The Month Bill of the Month is a crowdsourced project by NPR and Kaiser Health News that investigates and explains real-life medical bills.
Special Series
Bill Of The Month
Caitlyn Mai underwent cochlear implant surgery with her insurer's approval, expecting it would be covered in full. Then she started getting bills for $139,000. Nick Oxford/KFF Health News hide caption
In severe pain and uncertain of its cause, Tieqiao Zhang of Dallas says he didn’t want to wait for an appointment with his regular doctor, but he also wasn’t sure if he needed emergency care. He visited a clinic on the campus of Dallas’ largest public hospital — and was charged 10 times what he expected. Laura Buckman/KFF Health News hide caption
When it comes to billing, an urgent care center is different from an emergency center
On the last full day of a Bahamas excursion, Vincent Wasney had three epileptic seizures. While being evacuated, he received a bill for expenses incurred during the cruise. Kristen Norman for KFF Health News hide caption
He fell ill on a cruise. Before he boarded the rescue boat, they handed him the bill
When he arranged to undergo top surgery, Cass Smith-Collins of Las Vegas selected a surgeon touted as an early developer of the procedure who does not contract with insurance. "I had one shot to get the chest that I should have been born with, and I wasn't going to chance it to someone who was not an expert at his craft," he says. Bridget Bennett for KFF Health News/Bridget Bennett for KFF Health News hide caption
Sign here? Financial agreements may leave doctors in the driver's seat
About two months after undergoing open-heart surgery, Sara England's infant son, Amari Vaca, was sick and struggling to breathe. Staff members at a local medical center in Salinas, California, arranged for him to be transferred to a different hospital via air ambulance. Kevin Painchaud/Kevin Painchaud hide caption
A mom's $97,000 question: How was an air-ambulance ride not medically necessary?
The $81,739.40 bill for her mother's air-ambulance ride arrived less than two weeks after she died, Alicia Wieberg said. Lisa Krantz/KFF Health News hide caption
Her air-ambulance ride wasn't covered by Medicare. It will cost her family $81,739
Chantal Panozzo and her husband, who live in the Chicago suburbs, expected their first routine colonoscopies would be free — fully covered by insurance as preventive care under federal law. Taylor Glascock/KFF Health News hide caption
The colonoscopies were free but the 'surgical trays' came with $600 price tags
Last year, Elyse Greenblatt of New York City scheduled a telehealth appointment through her usual health system to see if her nagging congestion was COVID-19. The appointment turned out to be nearly $700. Shelby Knowles/KFF Health News hide caption
When a quick telehealth visit yields multiple surprises beyond a big bill
Reesha Ahmed of Venus, Texas, was billed nearly $2,400 for standard blood tests following her first prenatal checkup. Nitashia Johnson/KFF Health News hide caption
She was elated about her pregnancy. Then came a $2,400 bill for blood tests
Christine Rogers of Wake Forest, North Carolina, was asked to complete a mental health questionnaire as part of her annual physical. A brief conversation with her doctor landed her with a charge for a separate consultation. Kate Medley/KFF Health News hide caption
She talked about depression at a checkup — and got billed for two visits
Emily Gebel was diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2022. After Gebel moved her treatment from Seattle to Alaska, where she lived, she discovered it was priced much higher in her home state. Ash Adams/KFF Health News hide caption
She paid her husband's hospital bill. A year after his death, they wanted more money
KFF Health News
She paid her husband's hospital bill. A year after his death, they wanted more money
Thomas Greene with his wife, Bluizer, at their home in Oxford, Pennsylvania. After Thomas had a procedure on his leg, the anesthesia providers billed Medicare late, and he was sent to collections for the debt. Rosem Morton/KFF Health News hide caption
They billed Medicare late for his anesthesia. He went to collections for a $3,000 tab
KFF Health News
They billed Medicare late for his anesthesia. He went to collections for a $3,000 tab
Bridget Narsh at her home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Narsh's son has autism, post-traumatic stress disorder, and ADHD. In 2020, he spent more than 100 days at Central Regional Hospital, a state-run mental health facility. The state billed the family nearly $102,000 for the hospitalizations. Eamon Queeney/KFF Health News hide caption
Bethany Birch paid more than $5,200 toward her medical debt after getting sued by Ballad Health in 2018. Owing to a Tennessee court judgment, she accrued an additional $2,700 in interest over that time. Maddy Alewine/KFF Health News hide caption
The hospital bills didn't find her, but a lawsuit did — plus interest
After emergency surgery, an American expatriate with Swiss insurance now carries the baggage of a five-figure bill. Aria Konishi/KFF Health News hide caption
He visited the U.S. for his daughter's wedding — and left with a $42,000 medical bill
KFF Health News
He visited the U.S. for his daughter's wedding — and left with a $42,000 medical bill
When she was pregnant with her twins, Sara Walsh was diagnosed with a serious complication and had to pay thousands upfront before a specialist would see her. Zack Wittman/KFF Health News hide caption
She was pregnant and had to find $15,000 overnight to save her twins
A billing mistake by an in-network Florida emergency room landed Sara McLin's then-4-year-old son in collections. Zack Wittman/KHN hide caption
Brenna Kearney plays with her daughter, Joey, at home in Chicago. When Kearney was pregnant, she developed a rare type of preeclampsia and had to undergo an emergency cesarean section. Joey was discharged after a 36-day stay in the NICU. Taylor Glascock for KHN hide caption
A baby spent 36 days at an in-network hospital. Why did her parents get a huge bill?
KFF Health News
A baby spent 36 days at an in-network hospital. Why did her parents get a huge bill?
In 2013, Grace E. Elliott spent a night in a hospital in Florida for a kidney infection that was treated with antibiotics. Eight years later, she got a large bill from the health system that bought the hospital. This bill was for an unrelated surgical procedure she didn't need and never received. It was a case of mistaken identity, she knew, but proving that wasn't easy. Shelby Knowles for KHN hide caption
Jerry Bilinski, a retired social worker who lives in Fayetteville, N.C., says he deserves a full explanation from his medical team of what led to a small gash on his forehead during his surgery for a cataract. Eamon Queeney for KHN hide caption
He woke up from eye surgery with a gash on his forehead. What happened?
Paul Hinds has navigated the financial maze of health care during treatment for prostate cancer with the help of his girlfriend, Dr. Josie Tenore. Taylor Glascock/Taylor Glascock hide caption
After Frankie Cook's car accident on a wet road outside Rome, Ga., her father, Russell (right), got a lawyer's letter saying they owed a hospital emergency room more than $17,000 for scans and an exam to see if she had a concussion. Audra Melton for KHN hide caption