Of the more than 15% of American adults who have past-due medical debt, about 73% owe some or all of the money to hospitals, according to a recent Urban Institute report. The American Hospital Association said short-term limited duration health plans and high-deductible health plans are to blame.
In rural areas, where high-deductible plans are even more prevalent than in urban areas, patients often struggle to pay those deductibles, which has led to a substantial rise in the amount of uncollectible “bad debt” written off by all hospitals during the past few years.
Medical students, residents, and fellows are not waiting for formal guidance on artificial intelligence before putting it to use.
As open enrollment gets underway for next year’s job-based health insurance coverage, some employees are seeing traditional plans offered alongside or instead of the plans with sky-high deductibles that may have been their only choice in the past.