ClearHealthCosts

Trump’s Rollback of Rules for Mental Health Coverage Could Lead More Americans to Go Without Care The president, who has framed mental health as a national crisis, paused rules to hold insurers accountable for unlawfully denying coverage. And Congress cut funding to the agency that enforces insure...

NEW: In his first term, Trump talked like he wanted to improve mental health care in the U.S. and how the insurance industry covered it. In his second term, not so much. Smart story from @mayatmiller.bsky.social and @jeremykohler.bsky.social of @propublica.org.

www.propublica.org/article/ment...

We're Heading Toward A COVID Surge — Here's When It's Predicted To Peak It's hard to predict COVID infections, but rates are high and growing throughout the country. Here’s what you should do to keep you and your loved ones safe.

Covid surge, heads up. www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/covid-...

2/2 ... only part of the answer. If they're charging an outrageous sum, but telling you that outrageous sum, who's really winning? And what about ridic insurer profits, lack of access to care, lack of good quality metrics and all the other major probs in our system?

How much will your next hospital stay cost? No one seems to know — new rules may help. 10 ways to fight for transparency in hospital prices while still getting quality care

1/2 Finding out health costs: Rich Eisenberg at @marketwatch.com does a tour of the territory, quoting me among others. I will say also that transparent health costs are ...https://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-much-will-your-next-hospital-stay-cost-no-one-seems-to-know-new-rules-may-help-f7cd6171

To pay or not to pay? Patients drag their feet on paying bills - ClearHealthCosts A rising number of patients either don't pay bills or pay slowly, causing problems throughout the system. Here's what you need to know.

There's a rising tide of patients not paying medical bills, for a number of reasons. New, on the blog. clearhealthcosts.com/blog/2025/07...

They’re rich. They’re anti-Trump. And they don’t want their big tax cut. Many of the biggest beneficiaries of the GOP tax law say they are getting millions of dollars they don’t want or need.

"Now, more than half of upper-income families—those earning more than $215,400 per year — vote Dem .. as more highly educated voters shift to the left. “ WaPo gift link. wapo.st/4lIJPVj

In turnaround, administration proposes limits on skin substitute industry - ClearHealthCosts In a sharp turnaround, the Trump administration proposed new regulations to limit skyrocketing spending on skin substitutes, used to treat wounds that won't heal.

Sharp turnaround by the feds proposes limits on skin substitutes for wound care, after signs that no limits would be imposed. New, on the blog. clearhealthcosts.com/blog/2025/07...

My Journey With Long COVID Rachel Hall-Clifford shares how long COVID changed her life—managing fatigue, migraine, heart symptoms, and balancing family and care appointments.

Health Central: “My Journey With Long COVID”

"Rachel Hall-Clifford shares how long COVID shifted her baseline health and how she balances ongoing symptoms with family, work, and care appointments"

www.healthcentral.com/condition/co...

Long COVID Rates Higher in Women: Evidence Grows New research shows long COVID strikes more women than men, illuminating more clues to how the illness works.

Medscape: 'Long COVID Rates Higher in Women: Evidence Grows'

'New research from the NIH RECOVER initiative, the largest observational study to date, confirms what many have long suspected:'

“These illnesses are underfunded and understudied..."

www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

NEW: The board of the Fulbright Program has just resigned after accusing Trump aides of political interference. They say a State Dept. office under Rubio and Darren Beattie has cancelled scholarships to nearly 200 US professors and researchers. Story: www.nytimes.com/2025/06/11/u...

Gotta say, when the studies dropped showing Covid causes erectile dysfunction… I thought people would pay attention.

When they said you should avoid Covid for months before trying to conceive? Same.

Now we see the virus persists in semen… will anyone care?

Cancer Drugs Cost More Than Ever. They Often Don’t Extend Lives Pharmaceutical companies are making billions on treatments that can sometimes overpromise and underdeliver for terminal cases.

If you or a family member have cancer, you should know which drugs actually extend lives.
Important reporting on this from Robert Langreth, Tanaz Meghjani and Rachael Dottle >
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...

Highly infectious new COVID strain from China that led to massive spike in hospitalizations has spread to the US — including NYC By Ronny Reyes Published May 27, 2025, 12:52 p.m. ET A new, highly infectious COVID-19 strain that has led to a spike in hospitalizations in China has now been detected in the US, including cases in New York City, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Highly infectious new COVID strain hits US

"The new NB.1.81 variant was first detected in the US in late March–early April among international travelers arriving at airports in California, Washington State, Virginia and New York City, with additional cases reported in Ohio, Rhode Island and Hawaii"

“Slow Pay, Low Pay or No Pay” Blue Cross authorized mastectomies and breast reconstructions for women with cancer but refused to pay the full doctors’ bills. A jury called it fraud and awarded the practice $421 million.

The center appealed thousands of Blue Cross reimbursements for being too low.

At trial, the insurer revealed that it had never considered any of the appeals — and that they were pointless:

“An appeal is not available to review an underpayment.”

U.S. reports cases of new COVID variant NB.1.8.1 behind surge in China Authorities in Hong Kong say COVID-19 levels are the worst in at least a year.

Mask up!

YouTube video by Columbia College Jodi Kantor CC'96 – Keynote Address: Columbia College Class Day 2025

Lovely commencement address by my former colleague Jodi Kantor from the NYT, to Columbia grads. One of the best such talks I've seen. www.youtube.com/watch?v=njFY...

It's hard to get a doctor's appointment. What can you do? - ClearHealthCosts It's hard to get a doctor's appointment -- with either a primary care doctor or specialist. What can you do? Here are some options.

Doc appointments are hard to come by. What can you do? New, on the blog. clearhealthcosts.com/blog/2025/05...

Navigating the Grief of Losing My Mother, 18 Years Later The passage of time doesn’t erase grief, but rather, stretches it. But that’s not a failure of healing, writes Rebecca Soffer.

Grief, a powerful read by @rebeccasoffer.bsky.social @modernloss.bsky.social . time.com/7284451/grie...

“Absolute Despair”: An NIH Worker on Job and Budget Cuts, RFK Jr., and Trump’s First 100 Days - Washingtonian How have the wild initial months of Donald Trump’s return to the White House landed on Washington? We asked the people who live and work here to tell us—in their own words. Today, we hear from a worke...

"Absolute despair" at NIH. www.washingtonian.com/2025/05/01/a...

DOGE has made a big impact on Washington. But government spending is up. Elon Musk and his shadowy “tech support” team have ripped through Washington, reshaping the government and culling the federal workforce with astonishing speed and scope.

Who's surprised? Not me. www.politico.com/news/2025/04...

Despite seeing several people I totally trust say this was real I still felt I had to verify it with my own eyes. And having done so I still can't believe it's real.

How much does Plan B cost? From $0 to $49.99 - ClearHealthCosts This is an updated version of an article originally posted in February 2018. How much does Plan B cost? If you need emergency contraception, often called the “morning-after pill,” you probably don’t h...

How much does Plan B cost? from $0 to $49.99. We break it down for you, on the blog. clearhealthcosts.com/blog/2025/04...

Having trouble finding a therapist? Try these options - ClearHealthCosts Struggling to find a therapist? We never give medical advice, but here are some thoughts for coping with the shortage of in-network therapists.

It can be really hard to find a therapist, let alone an in-network therapist. We don't give medical advice, but here are some options. New, on the blog. clearhealthcosts.com/blog/2025/04...

Trump Offers a Private Dinner to Top 220 Investors in His Memecoin (Gift Article) The offer, which caused President Trump’s memecoin to surge in price, was his family’s latest effort to profit from cryptocurrencies.

is this for real?

Did I hear someone say "grift"?

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/t...

Supreme Court may back Affordable Care Act preventive services selection task force A ruling in favor of keeping the current task force structure in place could give Kennedy firm control over the task force.

SCOTUS might be leaning towards upholding the ACA's preventive services mandate. But if they do, it will also solidify Sec. Kennedy's authority over who gets to specify what preventive care must be covered: www.benefitspro.com/2025/04/22/s...

How much do over-the-counter hearing aids cost - $99 or $1,995? And how well do they work? - ClearHealthCosts Over-the-counter hearing aids are widely available. How much do they cost, and who should use them? Here's what you need to know.

Hearing aids can now be sold over the counter, without an audiologist and all the complications surrounding that. But do they work? Longtime expert Katherine Bouton unpacks it all. On the blog. clearhealthcosts.com/blog/2025/01...

Tariffs are about to hit lifesaving medical equipment "It's really the most vulnerable of the most vulnerable...who need technologies to live."

The tariff saga and its impact on disabled people cannot be separated from the administration’s brutal cuts to Medicaid.

“It’s really the most vulnerable of the most vulnerable…who need technologies to live.”

Trump Admin Broadens Scope of Student Visa Terminations Immigration officials are rapidly revoking hundreds of student visas. Many more are going unreported at small colleges anxious to avoid federal scrutiny.

@insidehighered.com doing great reporting on student visa revocations. Spread the word. www.insidehighered.com/news/global/...

Harvard rejects Trump administration’s demands with federal funding at risk The university’s response comes after the government announced a federal review of nearly $9 billion in funding to Harvard and its affiliates.

Harvard rejects Trump administration’s demands with federal funding at risk.

www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...