Free Republic

Some hospitals and lawmakers are looking to the federal government to cover treatment, which can total more than $1 million for a single patient. The arrival of Ebola in the United States this year led to an unprecedented medical response involving experimental drugs, round-the-clock care, and layers upon layers of protective gear. And none of it has been cheap. Nine people have been treated for the virus in the U.S. since August. Seven recovered. The National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, which treated one of them, estimates treatment for patients diagnosed with Ebola costs $50,000 a day. Officials at the...

Medical-bill confusion costly for Ohio patients Trying to understand a hospital bill can be a challenge. It usually provides little detail about the medical care you received, and the first version you get in the mail might say "This is not a bill." The next statement could include how much you owe and tell you that you need to pay in 30, 60, 90 or 120 days. Is this the final amount you owe? Are there more bills coming? Patient advocates say few people are prepared for the amount of paperwork that follows a hospital stay or surgery and even...

Balcony homicide blamed on medical bills KANSAS CITY, Mo., Aug. 16 (UPI) -- A Kansas City, Mo., man charged with killing his ailing wife by throwing her from a balcony told police he couldn't afford her monthly medical bills. Stanley Reimer, 51, was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder after his wife's body was found on the pavement outside the couple's fourth-floor apartment the night before, The Kansas City Star reported Thursday. Criste Reimer, 47, weighed 75 pounds as a result of treatment for uterine cancer and a neurological disorder, the report said. Her medical bills ranged from $700 to $800...