Vice President Biden: Obama Offered Financial Help When His Son Beau Biden was Ill with Brain Cancer  

The Washington Post reports how President Obama offered financial help to Vice President Biden with his late son’s medical bills. During a private lunch (before his son’s death), Biden explained to Obama that if his son, Beau, were to lose his job as Delaware’s attorney general, Beau wouldn’t have income to fall back on. In order to help their son with the medical bills, Biden and his wife planned to sell their home. President Obama then said “I’ll give you the money. Whatever you need, I’ll give you the money. Don’t Joe. Promise me. Promise me.” Biden’s son passed away in June 2015 from brain cancer.

2016 The Year of Consumerism in Healthcare as Providers Rush to Adapt

Healthcare leaders surveyed by Healthcare Finance News are focusing their efforts towards consumerism; specifically, how to make the patient experience more convenient for the consumer. This includes how bills are collected. Before rising high deductibles and out of pocket medical expenses, billing processes were not factored into a patient’s overall experience and satisfaction. Now studies have shown 82 percent of patients will recommend a hospital if they had a positive financial experience.

‘I Am Drowning.’ The Voices of People with Medical Debt

As a follow up to The New York Times and Kaiser Family Foundation study, illustrating how Americans with insurance are struggling to pay their medical bills, The New York Times shared stories of households who experienced financial challenges. Stories included cutting back on other expenses or savings, such as investments in retirement accounts and skipping home maintenance repairs. Some households limited the number of children they can have, others filed for bankruptcy; and more frequently, adults skipped care all together.