Latest news with #medicalbills
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Legendary '80s Rocker Shares 'Devastating' Update on ‘Aggressive' Cancer Diagnosis
Legendary '80s Rocker Shares 'Devastating' Update on 'Aggressive' Cancer Diagnosis originally appeared on Parade. David Roach, the lead singer of the popular heavy metal band from the '80s, Junkyard, gave fans an update regarding his health this week, months after revealing he was suffering from an 'aggressive' form of cancer. Roach and his fiancée, Jennifer, gave fans more insight into how they discovered his cancer in a joint Instagram post shared on June 27. They explained that Roach's 'ongoing fever and cough' caused them to go to the emergency room, and it was there they received some devastating news. 'We got results that have completely shattered our world. It's devastating and life-altering, and we're trying to navigate through the emotions and uncertainty that come with it,' the message from the couple read. 'David is showing such incredible strength and resilience, and even in the midst of this darkness, he's still managing to keep his sense of humor. It's a reminder of how amazing he is. But we know this journey ahead will be extremely tough, David made it clear he is not giving up hope and we're going to need all of your love and prayers.' Roach and Jennifer ended their message by thanking fans for standing by them and asked for people to keep him in their thoughts. A GoFundMe was also set up for the couple in an effort to raise money to help with Roach's medical bills. A note on the fundraising site stated that Jennifer was forced to step away from her full-time job in order to be Roach's fulltime caregiver. The message said that Roach had been diagnosed with "aggressive squamous cell carcinoma affecting his head, neck, and throat.' He and Jennifer had applied for medical disability, but there was "an extremely long waiting period to go through the processing and receive approval." Roach first came on the scene with Junkyard in 1987, and they went on to produce hit songs with 'Hollywood' and 'Simple Man.' While the band broke up just five years later, they reunited in 2000. Legendary '80s Rocker Shares 'Devastating' Update on 'Aggressive' Cancer Diagnosis first appeared on Parade on Jun 30, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
A Mom Went Viral For Breaking Down The Cost Of Giving Birth In America, And People Are Calling It "Crazy"
Kayla Kosuga (@kaylakosuga), a 24-year-old living in Florida, recently went viral for explaining how much it cost to give birth to her most recent child. The video has been viewed over 18 million times and is, once again, an example of how America's healthcare system continues to highlight just how difficult and costly it can be to get basic care. TikTok: @kaylakosuga / Via Kayla starts off the TikTok with: "This is how much it costs to give birth in America: $44,318.41. I had my little guy three weeks ago, so they definitely wasted no time sending me that bill." The social media influencer, who was in the hospital for two days, noted she had a vaginal birth with epidural and no complications. Kayla then shares a screenshot of her itemized bill after giving birth, revealing several costs: A private one-bed room and board was $10,100, pharmacy was $89.40, anesthesia was $1,845, labor room/delivery was $10,275, and more. Other care services Kayla was charged for: • Laboratory: $859 • Specialty Services: $585 • Other Diagnostic Services: $1,347 "And that's just one bill," the 24-year-old explains in the video. "We have multiple bills to go through, guys." For transparency, Kayla shares that insurance paid $20,353.62 of the first bill, leaving her and her partner responsible for the other $4,746.78. However, the cost to pay the doctor who delivered her baby with insurance was an additional $4,395.85. Kayla continues saying in the TikTok that she also received an epidural bill for $2,060.86 — the cost of the doctor and "not the epidural itself." Lastly, Kayla reveals that her baby received a bill, too, which added up to $12,761.30 without insurance. For their family of five now, the cost of insurance per month is $2,500 — a nearly $400 increase from when they were just a family of four. "We're still waiting for him to process on our insurance," she explains, "so, for now, this is the cost without it." Kayla's TikTok received over 2.2 million likes and over 22,000 comments, with a majority of people expressing their shock at all the charges that come with pregnancy and giving birth. One user said, "americas healthcare system is a joke... how does the newborn have a $12k bill? 😭😭😭." Another TikTok user commented, "And they wonder why the birth rate is declining 🫠 44k!!!" Meanwhile, people outside of the US are sharing the drastic differences when it comes to the cost of giving birth. One TikTok user said, "I love living in Sweden sometimes. It was all FREE!! I used three different kinds of pain killers (epidural, gas, and syringe), had some complications and had to stay at the hospital 4 four nights." In America, the average cost to have a child is $19,000 — but for many women, that number varies based on insurance and whether or not there are complications with the pregnancy. Notably, 1 in 12 Americans is in medical debt, with a study suggesting that Americans owe $220 billion. As said by Kayla as she concludes her TikTok breaking down her $44,318.41 bill — and as many others have shared — it truly is "crazy." If you're a mother, how much did it cost you to give birth? If you've had children years apart, did you notice a difference in the costs? Which costs surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your story using the form below. For more content, follow Kayla on TikTok.
CNA
27-06-2025
- Health
- CNA
Deep Dive Podcast: Great Eastern suspends Mount Elizabeth pre-authorisation - time to relook how health insurance is managed?
When insurer Great Eastern suspended pre-authorisation for admission to Mount Elizabeth hospitals, it raised questions about the way health insurance is managed in Singapore. With increased medical bills and insurance premiums, who is paying for what and where are the gaps? Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards speak with Associate Professor Jeremy Lim of Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and Dr Yoong Siew Lee, a health services consultant. Here is an excerpt from the conversation: Otelli Edwards, host: Why are hospitals charging differently for the same treatment? Dr Yoong Siew Lee, a health services consultant: Different hospitals have different charges and Great Eastern will have access to the data on those charges, so the detailed bills actually show the differences. So you have surgeon fees that can be standardised with fee benchmarks. But you also have occupational therapy facility fees, you have bed charges, which vary between the hospitals. Otelli: Like a five-star bed versus a three-star bed? Dr Yoong: Versus a six-star. So the facilities are all different and that attracts different price points. Some insurers have actually dealt with that by tiering the insurance. So if you choose a certain tier of insurance, you can go to all the hospitals. Or if you choose a sub-tier, you can go to some of the hospitals and you pay a lower premium. If they pool all the hospitals, then naturally the premium will go up if everybody chooses the most expensive hospitals. Steven Chia, host: But right now we don't (pool all the hospitals), right? If you choose to adopt the private one, will you have access to all the private hospitals? Dr Yoong: No, not all insurers are like that. Insurers have different schemes for customers with different pockets. Otelli: What's the difference between choosing public versus private (hospitals)? Because in public, you can choose the class A ward or the premium as well, right? So what would you say is the main difference there? Associate Professor Jeremy Lim, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health: Generally, the insurers don't impose a pre-authorisation on public hospitals and this includes the private wards of public hospitals, because there's a high degree of predictability in the public hospitals. Doctors' fees are pretty much set, the hospital charges for room and other services are very, very predictable and they're well within the range of what the insurers are prepared to pay. So policyholders who go to a public hospital generally find the experience pretty fuss-free, because there is a high degree of conviction amongst the insurers that the fees are going to be reasonable. Steven: Versus the private hospitals, which, you seem to be suggesting – are a bit more volatile? Assoc Prof Lim: There is much more variability (in private hospitals) because the doctors price differently, as Dr Yoong mentioned, has been attenuated by the fee benchmarks and by the negotiations that the insurers have had with the doctors.
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CNA
27-06-2025
- Business
- CNA
Deep Dive - Great Eastern suspends Mount Elizabeth pre-authorisation - time to relook how health insurance is managed?
Play When insurer Great Eastern suspended pre-authorisation for admission to Mount Elizabeth hospitals, it raised questions about the way health insurance is managed in Singapore. With increased medical bills and insurance premiums, who is paying for what and where are the gaps? Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards speak with Associate Professor Jeremy Lim of Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and Dr Yoong Siew Lee, a health services consultant. Deep Dive - Great Eastern suspends Mount Elizabeth pre-authorisation - time to relook how health insurance is managed? When insurer Great Eastern suspended pre-authorisation for admission to Mount Elizabeth hospitals, it raised questions about the way health insurance is managed in Singapore. With increased medical bills and insurance premiums, who is paying for what and where are the gaps? Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards speak with Associate Professor Jeremy Lim of Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and Dr Yoong Siew Lee, a health services consultant. 25 mins Deep Dive - Jetstar Asia closure: Are the days of cheap fares over? Jetstar Asia will cease operations on Jul 31, a move unsurprising to experts because the low-cost carrier was struggling to turn a profit in a tough aviation market. Otelli Edwards speaks to Shukor Yusof from aviation consultancy Endau Analytics and Dr Nitin Pangarkar from NUS Business School to find out what the future holds. 20 mins Deep Dive - Is Singapore's electric vehicle infrastructure catching up with demand? Electric vehicle sales hit a new high in the first three months of 2025, accounting for 40 per cent of total car registrations. Yet concerns about charging networks and capacity remain. Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards speak with transport economist Walter Theseira and Stephanie Tan, CEO of EV-Electric Charging. 25 mins Deep Dive - Calling 995? You may be rerouted to the NurseFirst helpline instead – here's how it works Non-life-threatening 995 calls will be directed to NurseFirst, a triage helpline, under a six-month nationwide trial aimed at easing the burden on emergency services. How exactly does it work, and will the public adapt? Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards find out from Col Dr David Pflug, chief medical officer of the Singapore Civil Defence Force and Dr Jade Kua, clinical lead for the NurseFirst helpline and senior consultant at the emergency medicine department in Woodlands Health. 18 mins
ABC News
21-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Yamba man left with $130,000 hospital bill after suffering stroke in Japan
Tom Zdanius recently spent his 57th birthday alone in the Iseikai International General Hospital in Osaka. He suffered a stroke in Japan last month, and has been lying in bed racking up medical bills of about $5,000 a day ever since. His brother Lukas Zdanius said it was a terrible situation for the family. "He is partially paralysed, he has lost his voice and ability to eat, and a couple of other things," he said. "He is conscious and able to listen, hear and understand. "If you use letters of the alphabet, you can get him to write words." Mr Zdanius said learning that his brother, who is from Yamba in NSW, had gone overseas without travel insurance caused the family "a lot of angst". "It is a cautionary tale, for sure," he said. "Some people seem to get away with it, but you don't drive a car without insurance, and you don't travel without travel insurance. "But there is nothing we can do about that, and the next best thing is to pay it out of our own pockets." Mr Zdanius said the family had already made one unsuccessful attempt to organise a medically supervised flight home. However, his brother took a turn for the worse and wound up back in the hospital. Mr Zdanius said the failed attempt had cost about $30,000. The family has started a crowdfunding campaign to cover that and other expenses, which Mr Zdanius estimates will eventually exceed $200,000. "The issue is we need to get the medevac people to take out nine seats of a commercial plane so they can fit a stretcher in," Mr Zdanius said. David Beirman, an adjunct fellow in management and tourism at the University of Technology Sydney, said research showed about 90 per cent of Australians took out insurance before heading overseas. "I wouldn't go anywhere without taking out travel insurance, particularly in countries like Japan and the United States, where medical costs are high," Dr Beirman said. "I know people often consider it a grudge purchase, and I don't blame them because travel insurance can be quite expensive. Dr Beirman, who consults with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) on travel advisories and tourism safety, said it would be wise for the family to seek consular assistance. "On rare occasions, people can approach DFAT and ask for them to repatriate them in a case of dire need," he said. "It will usually be treated as a loan." The ABC approached DFAT for comment about Mr Zdanius's case. It confirmed it was working to assist a man in Japan, but could not provide more details for privacy reasons.
