Advocates push for N.C. patient protection
An investigation by The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer found that while North Carolina hospitals get tax breaks worth hundreds of millions, some are doing little to help…Click to...
View ArticleLegislators say they’ll press hospitals on charity care, sales tax...
Charles Grassley, a leader on nonprofit issues, says Congress will act if hospitals dont do better on care for the poor. State legislative leaders say theyll push to repeal part…Click to Continue »
View ArticlePanel rebuffs Perdue on hospital bills
A House subcommittee on Thursday rejected Gov. Bev Perdues plan to make hospital bills more transparent and understandable.Click to Continue »
View ArticleN.C. hospitals charge more for chemo because they can, experts say
Many private insurance companies pay doctors a percentage of the average sales price for a particular drug. Hospitals, on the other hand, set their own charges, and insurers often pay…Click to Continue »
View ArticleN.C. nonprofit hospitals make big money on cancer drug markups
An analysis of data from more than 5,000 chemotherapy claims obtained by the newspapers also shows that hospitals and the doctors offices they own typically charge more for cancer drugs…Click to...
View ArticleN.C. nonprofit hospitals probed on use of drug discounts
The letters cite a recent investigation by The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer, which found that large nonprofit hospitals are dramatically inflating prices on chemotherapy drugs at...
View ArticleAG Roy Cooper will seek ways to curb N.C. hospital prices
Cooper?s move comes amid antitrust investigations into hospitals in other states. It also follows a News & Observer story showing that large nonprofit hospitals are dramatically inflating prices on...
View ArticleMeet the reporters
A joint team from two newspapers reported and edited this project.Click to Continue »
View ArticleDoctors join hospitals, and prices soar
North Carolina patients pay more for many tests and procedures if their physician is employed by a hospital, an investigation by The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer has…Click to...
View ArticleHospitals fight limits on office care
In the convoluted world of Medicare billing, hospital-owned clinics can collect far more than independent physicians for routine office visits.Click to Continue »
View ArticleNorth Carolina’s urban hospitals pile up the cash
The IRS may consider them nonprofits, but local hospitals have hundreds of millions in cash flow and much more in reserves.Click to Continue »
View ArticleNew bill in N.C. legislature would take mystery out of hospital prices
Hospitals would be required to publicly disclose their prices on their most common medical procedures under the bill, sponsored by Republican senators Bob Rucho of Matthews and Harry Brown of…Click to...
View ArticleNC hospitals reap profits from discount drugs
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, says information he obtained from Duke University Hospital, UNC Hospital and Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte has added to his questions about...
View ArticleThe News & Observer’s hospital series is Pulitzer Prize finalist
“Prognosis: Profits,” a series jointly produced by The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer, was one of three finalists for the Pulitzer Price in local reporting, announced Monday.Click to...
View ArticleNC Attorney General Cooper says he’ll push for tighter controls on...
Roy Cooper urges legislative leaders to tighten controls on hospital billing and to force them to offer more charity care. He also wants notice before a hospital acquires a doctors…Click to Continue »
View ArticleRare defeats put hospitals on offensive
In a social media initiative targeted at lawmakers and their constituents, the N.C. Hospital Association says that hospitals are fighting for their economic survival.Click to Continue »
View ArticleSenate panel approves legislation to force NC hospitals to clarify billing
Bills would have to be written in clear, easy-to-understand language, and hospitals would be prohibited from placing a lien on a delinquent patients home.Click to Continue »
View ArticleHuge ranges in hospital prices, health care data show
The charges for hospitals, released by the Obama administration, provides new proof that theres little consistency in pricing.Click to Continue »
View ArticleSen. Phil Berger pushes effort to cap sales tax refunds from nonprofits
The state Senate voted Thursday to cap sales tax refunds for non-profits, a move that could eventually cost hospitals, universities and other charities $235 million in revenue a year.Click to Continue »
View ArticleUnder new NC law, patients’ hospital bills will be simpler
Starting next June, hospitals will have to post prices for common procedures and detail what the hospital is paid by Medicaid, Medicare, private insurers and uninsured patients. Theyll also...
View ArticleNC Senate repeats demand for data on payments to hospitals
Among the reforms the North Carolina legislature passed in 2013 was a law mandating that hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers post the prices they charge for their 20 most common…Click to...
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