Latest news with #TomLlamas
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Did your doctor's office charge you a 'facility fee'? Here's what to know.
In Minnesota, a family received an unexpected charge of over $400 after they took their daughter to the doctor for stomach pain. In Ohio, a man was billed $645 extra for an ear, nose and throat specialist. In New Hampshire, a resident was charged an additional $1,000 fee for an appointment with a urologist. Across the country, patients are expressing frustration about 'facility fees' — charges that a wide range of hospital systems add to bills for appointments at facilities they own, including doctors' offices offering routine care. Hospitals can charge facility fees even when a patient hasn't set foot in a hospital. More than a dozen patients who expected their insurance to cover most of the cost of their appointments at outpatient doctors' offices told NBC News they were blindsided by the fees, which are billed on top of the cost of seeing medical providers and can easily run into the hundreds of dollars. For more on this story, watch NBC's 'Nightly News with Tom Llamas' at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT and 'Top Story' on NBC News NOW at 7 p.m. ET. The charges have become more prevalent in recent years as more physicians are employed by hospitals and as insurance plans leave patients paying more for care before their coverage kicks in. In some communities, there is so much health care consolidation that it's hard to find practices that don't charge facility fees. Researchers say patchwork laws to regulate the fees haven't kept up. 'In most states and situations, there aren't really limits on how high they can go,' said Christine Monahan, an assistant research professor at the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University, who has studied facility fees. Hospitals argue facility fees are necessary to fund the higher level of care they say they provide at their outpatient doctors' offices, as well as to help maintain 24/7 services such as emergency rooms. The American Hospital Association says facility fees should be covered by insurance companies, while insurers say the fees unnecessarily inflate the cost of care without improving its quality. Here's what consumer advocates and health policy experts say patients should know about facility fees. Before your appointment: What to ask Experts recommend you ask every time you book an appointment whether there is a facility fee — even for physicians you have seen before. A doctor's office ownership, hospital affiliation or policies may have changed since your last visit. If you are told there will be a facility fee, ask for a good-faith estimate of what the anticipated charge will be, said Patricia Kelmar, senior director of health care campaigns at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a consumer advocacy organization. And don't assume your insurance will cover the bill. Last year, Melissa Finnegan, of St. Paul, Minnesota, was charged a facility fee of $423.15 for an appointment with a pediatric gastroenterologist for her 3-year-old. When she tried to fight it, she discovered neither the health system nor her insurance company was willing to budge. 'I put off paying it for as long as I could,' she said. When you get the bill: How to make sense of the charges If you receive an unexpectedly large medical bill after an appointment, call the billing office to ask for an itemized bill to understand the charges. Outpatient facility fees may be listed under other names, such as a 'clinic' fee. In office signs and other disclosures about facility fees, hospitals may refer to the practice as 'provider-based billing,' which means patients' bills can be split into two separate charges: one for the physician's services and one for visiting the facility. 'People see the bill and just assume, because it's on their bill, that they're going to have to pay it,' said Eric Waskowicz, senior state policy manager at United States of Care, a nonpartisan organization that fights for affordable health care. But in some cases, you may not have to pay. Insurers suggest patients wait until they receive their explanation of benefits so they can review what part their plans will cover and they don't accidentally overpay. You should also check the laws in your state to make sure you were correctly charged: Some states ban facility fees for telehealth visits, for example, while others prohibit facility fees for preventive services or at certain types of medical offices. 'Know what the law is, and then use it if you can to protect yourself from that fee,' Kelmar said. The American Hospital Association advises patients to familiarize themselves with their insurance plans' coverage and says that if they've received unexpected facility fee charges to confirm that their insurance has 'appropriately processed' their claims. What to do if you can't afford to pay If you can't afford to pay a facility fee, try calling the medical provider's office to see whether the charge can be removed. If that doesn't work, talk to your insurance company, Kelmar said. Insurance may be able to work with the billing office to reduce your out-of-pocket responsibility. There are other options for those who can't pay. Sometimes billing departments will give discounts to people who offer to pay smaller amounts immediately, rather than pay the larger amounts over time. Patients can also ask about paying the cash price, instead, meaning the charge they would have incurred if they didn't have insurance, said Monahan, the Georgetown expert. The cash price might be lower. If that doesn't work, search for a health care advocate in your state, Waskowicz suggested. 'To the extent it's possible, they are able to work with insurance providers to see if they can get that fee waived,' he said. In the meantime, keep in touch with the billing office, Waskowicz added. If you are actively contesting the bill, chances are lower that it will be sent to collections. Kelmar said that if you can't avoid a facility fee and are struggling to pay, don't put the balance on a credit card. Instead, work out a payment plan directly with the provider, ideally with low or no interest. What to do ahead of your next appointment If you want to avoid facility fees in the future, try to find an independent doctor's office that isn't owned by a hospital. That isn't always easy: In West Covina, California, Todd Bash, 60, needed injections for a spinal problem and ended up being billed facility charges of over $450 out of pocket for a pain specialist. He then made dozens of calls trying to find a different physician who could administer the injections. But he said all the doctors' offices he reached out to were affiliated with hospitals or didn't take his insurance. 'It was like a full-time job trying to just navigate the system and trying to get a price,' he said. Bash finally found an independent clinic about 20 miles away that accepted his insurance and would administer the shots for $37. Then, last month, the doctor's office stopped accepting insurance. 'I'm back to square one,' he said. California doesn't have laws on the books that address facility fees. Experts say more states are trying to pass legislation that would curb the fees, which could lower patients' bills in the future. 'There's growing recognition that this is a problem and that consumers can't afford it,' Monahan said. This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
ABC News to launch new show on Disney+
By Published: Updated: A pair of fresh-faced correspondents have been tapped to co-host a new daily streaming show for ABC News as the network faces stiff competition from its rivals. Rachel Scott and James Longman will co-anchor 'What You Need to Know' on Disney+, which debuts on July 21 and airs each weekday at 6 a.m. ET. The show, which is the first original news show designed for the streaming service, arrives as networks attempt to recapture young consumers who have fled TV for streaming. Last week, ABC World News Tonight host David Muir, 51, was beaten by NBC News' new primetime host Tom Llamas in the key 25-54 demographic for the first time. An insider at the time told the Daily Mail that ABC execs were already unsettled by Llamas' impact during his first month as Nightly News host. ABC's Good Morning America - while barely ahead of Today in total viewers - is trailing NBC in the advertiser-coveted group as well. The morning show is led by the network's other fixture, George Stephanopoulos, formerly ABC News' chief anchor, who now co-hosts GMA with Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan. He once was ABC News' chief anchor but is no longer. All three turned down a chance to host the television network's troubled afternoon edition of the morning show, known as GMA3, sources told Daily Mail in April. The new Disney+ show boasts GMA3's old tagline as its title. 'It's the first thing you will see on Disney+ as you wake up,' ABC News president Almin Karamehmedovic told Variety on Monday, describing a more short-form format that combines breaking news, entertainment segments, and viral videos, Each episode will be available on demand for 24 hours before refreshing with a new episode. 'Americans have a lot going on in their lives. They want to stay up to speed on what's happening, not only here at home, but also internationally as well,' added Scott, a 32-year-old senior political correspondent for the network. 'And sometimes they don't have a lot of time to do it. And so, this is going to be just the platform for them to get up to speed on the top stories.' Longman, the network's 39-year-old London-based chief international correspondent, added: 'I'm going to be able to do this wherever I go in the world. 'I could have been doing it from Iraq, when Israel attacked Iran. I could have been doing it for from Ukraine. 'So, this is a way to take the audience with us into the places we're going, yes, to tell them what's going on in the world in the United States, but also give them that a little bit of insight into what we're doing every single day.' Both will retain their regular roles while co-hosting the new show. Disney+ currently airs live breaking news and replays of Good Morning America, Nightline, and World News Tonight. The new show will not air on ABC, the network confirmed, unlike the struggling GMA3, which has recently seen a revolving door of co-hosts following the abrupt exits of co-hosts Eva Pilgrim and DeMarco Morgan. On-air talents from other hours and elsewhere across the network have been asked to host the show more frequently in what a source described to the Daily Mail as an 'evolution of the show.' In March, a network spokesperson told that Daily Mail that ABC News was in the process of ' unifying all day parts under the GMA umbrella and team.' ABC's next timeslot is held by The View, whose mainstay Whoopi Goldberg last week whined that her job can 'feel like hell' after returning from a two-week break following backlash over her controversial comments on Iran. Muir, meanwhile, has been a primetime mainstay for 11 years, succeeding Diane Sawyer in 2014 when World News Tonight still trailed NBC in total viewers. Muir has held the primetime crown for the past nine years running. But three straight weeks of growth with total viewers under his rival, Llamas, have caught the attention of ABC News bosses, a source told the Daily Mail last week. 'There is a growing concern that Muir's once-apparent predecessor is already showing promising signs - and it's starting to reflect in the ratings,' the source said.
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
ABC exalts two wild-card anchors with new daily show... as long-serving heavyweights battle rivals in the ratings
A pair of fresh-faced correspondents have been tapped to co-host a new daily streaming show for ABC News as the network faces stiff competition from its rivals. Rachel Scott and James Longman will co-anchor 'What You Need to Know' on Disney+, which debuts on July 21 and airs each weekday at 6 a.m. ET. The show, which is the first original news show designed for the streaming service, arrives as networks attempt to recapture young consumers who have fled TV for streaming. Last week, ABC World News Tonight host David Muir, 51, was beaten by NBC News' new primetime host Tom Llamas in the key 25-54 demographic for the first time. An insider at the time told the Daily Mail that ABC execs were already unsettled by Llamas' impact during his first month as Nightly News host. ABC's Good Morning America - while barely ahead of Today in total viewers - is trailing NBC in the advertiser-coveted group as well. The morning show is led by the network's other fixture, George Stephanopoulos, formerly ABC News' chief anchor, who now co-hosts GMA with Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan. He once was ABC News' chief anchor but is no longer. All three turned down a chance to host the television network's troubled afternoon edition of the morning show, known as GMA3, sources told Daily Mail in April. The new Disney+ show boasts GMA3's old tagline as its title. 'It's the first thing you will see on Disney+ as you wake up,' ABC News president Almin Karamehmedovic told Variety on Monday, describing a more short-form format that combines breaking news, entertainment segments, and viral videos, Each episode will be available on demand for 24 hours before refreshing with a new episode. 'Americans have a lot going on in their lives. They want to stay up to speed on what's happening, not only here at home, but also internationally as well,' added Scott, a 32-year-old senior political correspondent for the network. 'And sometimes they don't have a lot of time to do it. And so, this is going to be just the platform for them to get up to speed on the top stories.' Longman, the network's 39-year-old London-based chief international correspondent, added: 'I'm going to be able to do this wherever I go in the world. 'I could have been doing it from Iraq, when Israel attacked Iran. I could have been doing it for from Ukraine. 'So, this is a way to take the audience with us into the places we're going, yes, to tell them what's going on in the world in the United States, but also give them that a little bit of insight into what we're doing every single day.' Both will retain their regular roles while co-hosting the new show. Disney+ currently airs live breaking news and replays of Good Morning America, Nightline, and World News Tonight. The new show will not air on ABC, the network confirmed, unlike the struggling GMA3, which has recently seen a revolving door of co-hosts following the abrupt exits of co-hosts Eva Pilgrim and DeMarco Morgan. On-air talents from other hours and elsewhere across the network have been asked to host the show more frequently in what a source described to the Daily Mail as an 'evolution of the show.' In March, a network spokesperson told that Daily Mail that ABC News was in the process of 'unifying all day parts under the GMA umbrella and team.' ABC's next timeslot is held by The View, whose mainstay Whoopi Goldberg last week whined that her job can 'feel like hell' after returning from a two-week break following backlash over her controversial comments on Iran. Muir, meanwhile, has been a primetime mainstay for 11 years, succeeding Diane Sawyer in 2014 when World News Tonight still trailed NBC in total viewers. Muir has held the primetime crown for the past nine years running. But three straight weeks of growth with total viewers under his rival, Llamas, have caught the attention of ABC News bosses, a source told the Daily Mail last week. 'There is a growing concern that Muir's once-apparent predecessor is already showing promising signs - and it's starting to reflect in the ratings,' the source said.
Daily Mail
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
David Muir is BEATEN by young rival in key ratings metric...as he's mocked for wearing tight t-shirt to floods
David Muir has been beaten in a vital ratings metric by NBC News' new star Tom Llamas in an embarrassing blow to his bosses at ABC News. Muir, 51, was watched by 891,000 viewers in the 25-54 age group Tuesday night, while Llamas, 46, pulled in 904,000 viewers in the same demographic. That age group is particularly prized by advertisers because of their relative youth and disposable income. A sustained victory for Llamas - who only started at Nightly News on June 2 - could lead to advertisers switching their cash from Muir's World News Tonight to Llamas Nightly News. An industry insider told Daily Mail Tuesday that execs at ABC News were already unsettled by Llamas's impact during his first month as host. Muir - whose World News Tonight remains the most popular nightly news broadcast in America overall - also found himself mocked for his choice of attire. Journalist and podcaster Megyn Kelly laughed at the star for donning a 'teeny tiny' black t-shirt to report from devastating floods in Texas. While black tees are a mainstay among male TV anchors reporting on location from warm locales, Muir's was particularly tight and showed off his sculpted body to eye-popping effect. Kelly claimed Muir had purposely tightened his shirt to show off his 'super, super tiny in the waist [and] super muscle-y in the arms.' She pointed to what she framed as more professional attire from Llamas. Llamas black t-shirt was notably less clingy than the tee worn by Muir, who is known for posting smoldering photos of himself on his Instagram page. In the end, the former Fox firebrand branded Muir 'the most vain man at ABC News'. Some of Kelly's followers supported her criticism of Muir - but others suggested she was being petty and that the attacks on the ABC star were unwarranted. In terms of ratings, Llamas is still a distant second to the more established World News Tonight host Muir. He took over from the well-liked Lester Holt and must now build his own loyal audience. Llamas has seen a small ratings drop since taking over. But that dip is far smaller than the apocalyptic slump witnessed at CBS News, which viewers have deserted in droves since Norah O'Donnell quit as anchor in January. Muir's show averaged 7.09million viewers Tuesday compared to NBC's 5.81 million. For the month, Muir reeled in 7.31 million viewers to NBC's 5.67 million. June was ABC's biggest ratings win in three decades, continuing a trend of dominance started by Muir after he succeeded a then second-place Diane Sawyer. But Llamas' strides against Muir with winning over younger viewers will unsettle ABC News bosses who regard Muir as the network's crown jewel. Muir recently emerged victor in a years-long feud with fellow ABC star George Stephanopoulos, who is best known for hosting Good Morning America. New figures also show that Llamas is gaining viewers among 18 to 49 year olds. The gains for Llamas are more impressive given they've come during a quieter news cycle after last year's presidential election and Olympics, which help drive bumper ratings to news shows. A media source Friday told Daily Mail that NBC News are quietly confident Llamas has got what it takes to topple Muir from his no.1 ratings perch. 'There's a quiet optimist that Tom has what it takes to eventually edge out Muir in the demo but no one's taking a victory lap just yet,' the source said. 'The team is taking one day at a time and is focused on putting on the best newscast each night.' Llamas, 46, told The Washington Post in June something similar, while explaining how he 'want[s] to be number one' in primetime. 'It's not easy,' Lamas said. 'But it's something I think we can do.' He admitted, 'It's not going to happen in a month.' Another insider sought to pour cold water on Llamas success - and Kelly's targeting of Muir. That source said: 'Honestly, the reality is Muir just had the biggest win over NBC in 30 years in June with Llamas as anchor. 'It took a month and a half for NBC to get a night in the demo, something Lester Holt occasionally used to do, too - but Holt didnt try to get headlines for it. It's silly.' 'It's clear the way Megyn Kelly gets attention is by trashing others, the source added.
NBC News
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
‘The Bear' shines new light on iconic Chicago sandwich
Italian Beef is a sandwich beloved by Chicago locals. Now, after several seasons of the Chicago-based, hit show 'The Bear,' the sandwich has a new legion of fans. NBC News' Tom Llamas visits the legendary local shop that inspired the show.
