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For-Profit Corporations Are Buying Up More Psychiatric Hospitals. Some Flout Federal Law With Scarce Repercussions.

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An Arm and a Leg @armandalegshow.bsky.social · 18h

According to this @propublica.org investigation, psychiatric hospitals are denying care to patients they are legally required to treat. And 80% are owned by for-profit corporations.

Psychiatric hospitals — increasingly owned by for-profit corporations — are illegally turning away patients during crises. Yet only a handful face penalties, with fines that are trivial, a ProPublica investigation found.

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by An Arm and a Leg

Kirby @kirbytheawsum.bsky.social · 1d

@armandalegshow.bsky.social's recent episode highlighted a useful handout put together by Thomas Sanford that helps US patients get help with their medical bills.

Help With Your Medical Expenses: Resource Guide for Patients
Your Hospital Bill Could Be Forgiven
Most hospitals offer bill forgiveness
programs. On average, a family of 4
earning less than $100,000 a year will
qualify.
Use the Dollar For tool to check if you
qualify, and get help applying for free.
dollarfor.org
Use the Lown Institute Hospital Index to
see how your local hospitals compare in
providing charity care and financial
assistance
lownhospitalsindex.org
On Medicare and Having Insurance
Problems?
If your plan is denying a claim or
causing issues, call the Medicare Rights
Center:
800-333-4114
www.medicarerights.org
Prescription Costs Too High?
Needy Meds has a detailed list of
programs and discounts for medications.
needymeds.org
Uninsured? You May Qualify for
Medicaid or an Affordable Plan
If you don’t have insurance, you may
be able to get coverage with a very
low premium — or even free
coverage. Find free help near you to
enroll.
localhelp.healthcare.gov
Or check if you qualify for Medicaid
on your own:
medicaid.gov

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An Arm and a Leg @armandalegshow.bsky.social · 3d

“When you say, ‘We’re just cutting provider rates,’ you’re actually cutting access for him for all his needs." -- one mom, who is a medical caregiver for her son.

States Are Cutting Medicaid Provider Payments Long Before Trump Cuts Hit - KFF Health News

North Carolina and Idaho are cutting their Medicaid programs to bridge budget gaps, raising fears that providers will stop taking patients and that hospitals will close even before the brunt of a new federal tax-and-budget law takes effect.

How to stare down — and maybe scare off — a bill collector • An Arm And a Leg

An Arm and a Leg @armandalegshow.bsky.social · 4d

It's important to remember, in this situation, you still have rights. Head to our "First Aid Kit" newsletter for our 3-part rundown, along with some tactics to try when dealing with bill collectors. Here's the first installment: armandalegshow.com/first-aid-ki...

What the “Fair Debt Collection Practices Act” can do for you, pt. 1

When hospitals sue patients (part 2) • An Arm And a Leg

An Arm and a Leg @armandalegshow.bsky.social · 4d

... And part 2: armandalegshow.com/episode/when...

Part two of our story with Scripps News and the Baltimore Banner: In some states, hospital lawsuits have dropped dramatically.

When hospitals sue patients (part 1) • An Arm And a Leg

An Arm and a Leg @armandalegshow.bsky.social · 4d

Sometimes, hospitals will go after low sums from patients who qualify for charity care — reduced or free coverage most hospitals offer patients based on income. We reported on these practices in our 2-part series "When hospitals sue patients." Here's part 1: armandalegshow.com/episode/when...

We investigate why hospitals sue patients over unpaid medical bills, with Scripps News and the Baltimore Banner.

Workers’ Wages Siphoned To Pay Medical Bills, Despite Consumer Protections - KFF Health News

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An Arm and a Leg @armandalegshow.bsky.social · 4d

A heartbreaking, but important, story from @kffhealthnews.org

kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Health care providers and debt collectors are biting from people’s paychecks to cover old medical bills. A KFF Health News investigation in Colorado shows that this aggressive collection practice is w...

First Aid Kit Archive • An Arm And a Leg

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An Arm and a Leg @armandalegshow.bsky.social · 5d

Sign up for our best advice on financially surviving America’s health care hellscape — in your inbox every Thursday.

Our newsletter sums up and shares the practical lessons we’ve learned about surviving the health care system, financially.

First Aid Kit Archive • An Arm And a Leg

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An Arm and a Leg @armandalegshow.bsky.social · 7d

We’ll continue to cover the fight over subsidy funding and bring you our best advice for how to buy insurance no matter how this battle shakes out. You can listen to the show wherever you get podcasts, and sign up for our First Aid Kit newsletter here: armandalegshow.com/first-aid-kit/

Our newsletter sums up and shares the practical lessons we’ve learned about surviving the health care system, financially.

How to mentally and financially prep for the 2026 health insurance marketplace • An Arm And a Leg

An Arm and a Leg @armandalegshow.bsky.social · 7d

An analysis from @urbaninstitute.bsky.social predicted that if the subsidies DO expire, 4.8 million Americans would drop coverage next year. We’ve been grappling with how to plan for 2026’s higher rates — especially if the enhanced subsidies go away:
armandalegshow.com/first-aid-ki...

Health insurance sucks. We’ve always said it. And this year it’s going to be even worse. Whether you get it from work or the Obamacare marketplace, it’s

KFF Health Tracking Poll: Public Weighs Political Consequences of Health Policy Legislation | KFF

An Arm and a Leg @armandalegshow.bsky.social · 7d

Polling this week from @kff.org shows that 78% of the public supports Congress extending the enhanced subsidies.
www.kff.org/affordable-c...

KFF's Health Tracking Poll finds that more than three-quarters of the public say they want Congress to extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits that are set to expire at the end of this year. If th...

www.kff.org

An Arm and a Leg @armandalegshow.bsky.social · 7d

It’s day 3 of the government shutdown, and expiring Marketplace subsidies are at the center of the battle. In our last episode, we follow one person trying to budget for the subsidies expiring: Our senior producer,
@emilypisacreta.bsky.social armandalegshow.com/episode/insu...

Will we be able to afford insurance in 2026? • An Arm And a Leg

An Arm and a Leg's senior producer has to sign up for Obamacare. And it turns out, it’s one heck of a year to do that. An Arm and a Leg's senior producer has to sign up for Obamacare. And it turns out...

Starter Packs Archive • An Arm And a Leg

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An Arm and a Leg @armandalegshow.bsky.social · 8d

Introducing... “Starter Packs!” – mini compilations of podcast episodes and newsletters on our most frequently covered topics.

Think of them as a beginner’s reference guide for dealing with our broken health care system. Check ‘em out and share ‘em:

Our best answers to some big questions, and collections of favorite podcast episodes.

How Federal Shutdown Hits Health Agencies, Explained to Aspen the Corgi

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Reposted by An Arm and a Leg

Julie Rovner @julierovner.bsky.social · 9d

reupping my explanation of how the shutdown impacts health programs with the aid of my corgis...

www.youtube.com/shorts/N4VvV...

YouTube video by KFF Health News

www.youtube.com

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An Arm and a Leg @armandalegshow.bsky.social · 9d

Important to note: "Most other Medicare and Medicaid services will continue as normal during the shutdown, and providers' insurance claims will still be paid out."

But for now, some seniors have lost access to telehealth and at-home hospital-level care.
www.axios.com/2025/10/01/t...

Some telehealth and home care frozen by shutdown

Additional legislation is required to restore the services.

www.axios.com

An Arm and a Leg @armandalegshow.bsky.social · 9d

Last year, we put out an episode about how these sorts of AI cost-saving measures have played out in the private Medicare Advantage sector: armandalegshow.com/episode/son-...

Son of Medicare: Attack of the Machines • An Arm And a Leg

UnitedHealth used an algorithm to cut off care for seniors in Medicare Advantage plans.

AI Will Soon Have a Say in Approving or Denying Medicare Treatments - KFF Health News

An Arm and a Leg @armandalegshow.bsky.social · 9d

It's officially spooky season -- and if you find robots scary, the news is keeping pace.

A pilot program testing the use of artificial intelligence to expand prior authorization decisions in Medicare has providers, politicians, and researchers questioning Trump administration promises to curb an unpopular practice that has frustrated patients and their doctors.

She Had a Broken Arm, No Insurance — And a $97,000 Bill - KFF Health News

An Arm and a Leg @armandalegshow.bsky.social · 10d

The story of one patient who had to drop her healthcare.gov plan once she no longer qualified for a subsidy, and got stuck with a gigantic bill after a fall about two months later:

"https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/broken-arm-uninsured-surprise-bill-of-the-month-september

Deborah Buttgereit knew piecing together the broken bone in her elbow would be expensive. But complications the doctor deemed a surprise, midsurgery, drove the total bill tens of thousands of dollars ...

A tool for avoiding hospital bills you can’t pay • An Arm And a Leg

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Reposted by An Arm and a Leg

KFF @kff.org · 11d

As of last Monday, 26 states implemented or announced updates to their COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccine policies, providing broader access than current federal limits.

Get a snapshot of state actions on vaccine policy in our brief: https://on.kff.org/3IhxRnr

KFF graphic titled "In Response to Changes in Federal Vaccine Policy Under the Trump Administration, 26 States Recently Moved to Allow Pharmacists to Give COVID-19 Shots Without a Prescription." The graphic lists the 26 states: Arizona, California*, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois*, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland*, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota*, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington, D.C.*, Wisconsin. *California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington, D.C., also recently moved to allow pharmacists to administer other vaccines without a prescription.

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Reposted by An Arm and a Leg

KFF @kff.org · 14d

Federal funding for the State Health Insurance Assistance Program has been relatively modest in recent years, rising from $60 million in 2015 to $70 million in 2025, about $1 per beneficiary, even as the complexity of Medicare has grown. https://on.kff.org/46zqQ9n

KFF graph titled “Federal funding for SHIP has been fairly modest over the past decade, despite growing Medicare complexity.” The chart shows the amount of federal dollars appropriated to the SHIP program from 2015 to 2025. In 2025, the total was $70 million.

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An Arm and a Leg @armandalegshow.bsky.social · 14d

In this week’s First Aid Kit: A tool for comparing the financial aid policies at hospitals near you — and seeing if you qualify. Plus, why you should ask for “charity care” instead of “financial assistance.”

Hey there, It’s no mystery: The size of your hospital bill depends a lot on where you get care. You already know: You’ve gotta check that your insurance

Will we be able to afford insurance in 2026? • An Arm And a Leg

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An Arm and a Leg @armandalegshow.bsky.social · 15d

Check out our episode where we follow @emilypisacreta.bsky.social as she prepares to sign up for Obamacare next year and grapples with the high rates: armandalegshow.com/episode/insu...

An Arm and a Leg's senior producer has to sign up for Obamacare. And it turns out, it’s one heck of a year to do that. An Arm and a Leg's senior producer has to sign up for Obamacare. And it turns out...