Meet the Team

Aneri Pattani

Kaiser Health News

MORE STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR

Health

How banks and hospitals are cashing in when patients can't pay for health care

Noam Levey

Aneri Pattani

Some credit cards advertised by hospitals lure in patients with rosy promises of convenient, low-interest payments on big bills. But interest rates soar if you can't quickly pay off the loan.
Health

Medical debt ruined her credit. 'It's like you're being punished for being sick'

Aneri Pattani

New policies to keep medical bills from sinking credit ratings sound good but will likely fall short for many hit hardest by debt — especially Black Americans in the South, such as Penelope Wingard.
Health

Social media posts warn people not to call 988. Here's what you need to know

Aneri Pattani

Some people voiced concerns that using the service could lead to police involvement or forced hospitalization.
National

North Carolina considers new laws to 'de-weaponize' medical debt and protect patients

Aneri Pattani

Medical debt can ruin lives, and in many states patients have few financial protections. North Carolina is considering a new law that could lead the way in shielding patients from high medical bills.
Health

Medical debt upended their lives. Here's what it took from them

Noam Levey

Aneri Pattani

Yuki Noguchi

Bram Sable-Smith

First, they were struck by illness and then by medical bills they couldn't pay. Here are 15 stories of Americans living under the shadow of health care debt.
National

To save lives, overdose antidote should be sold over-the-counter, advocates argue

Aneri Pattani

With opioid overdoses surging, harm-reduction groups are calling on the FDA to change naloxone's prescription-only status. This would make it easier to get the lifesaving drug to people at risk.