Health Insurance

Virtual access to doctors is a huge plus for patients. But it's a lot of new work for physicians. And the health care business model hasn't caught up with this new reality.

After emergency surgery, an American expatriate now carries the baggage of a five-figure bill. Costs for medical care in the U.S. can be two to three times the rates in other developed countries.

Billing experts and lawmakers are playing catch-up as providers get around new consumer protections, leaving patients like Danielle Laskey of Washington state with big bills for emergency care.

Instead of health insurance, the Rev. Jeff King had signed up for an alternative that left members of the plan to share the costs of health care. That meant lower premiums, but a huge hospital bill.

Taxpayers footed the bill for care that should have cost far less, according to records released under the Freedom of Information Act. The U.S. government may charge insurers $650 million as a result.

Rising health care costs are a burden on many employers and employees. In Part 10 of The Price We Pay, WFAE's series examining the American health care system, we look at how a number of big and small businesses have been trying to contain those costs.

Patients in the United States pay 2 1/2 times more for the same medications than those in other countries. The system leaves some cashing in their life savings to afford medicines like Revlimid.

It's estimated Americans spend $1 trillion a year on health care administration — more than we spend on Medicare. A study shows a quarter to half is wasted on things only necessary due to the complexity of our health care system.

Working-age Americans are dying prematurely. You can learn a lot about why by looking at what’s happened in Taylorsville, a small community 60 miles northwest of Charlotte. In Part 3 of "The Price We Pay," WFAE's Dana Miller Ervin looks at how job loss, education and health are linked.

Blue Cross NC will now include coverage for gender-affirming facial surgery and voice therapy for transgender and gender-nonconforming people as medically necessary care. The move comes after what LGBTQ advocates say was a record-breaking year for anti-transgender legislation, and they are celebrating a small victory in North Carolina.