Summer 2020Health and wealth: The connection  Health and wealth: Mired in medical debt    From learning that you owe thousands of dollars in surprise medical bills, to being hit with a lawsuit for unp
Summer 2020

Health and wealth: The connection
  Health and wealth: Mired in medical debt  
  From learning that you owe thousands of dollars in surprise medical bills, to being hit with a lawsuit for unpaid hospital bills, life can be hard for healthcare consumers who are burdened by medical debt. Consumer Action looks at some innovative ways to help relieve the heavy debt burden, and examines the prospect of efficient, effective virtual medical care. Read the story.  
  Balance billing protections and loopholes  
  More than half of the states in the U.S. offer some protection for patients who have been hit with surprise medical bills--often the result of unpaid or partially paid health insurance claims. Learn more about how you can protect yourself from balance billing. Read the story.  
  Programs that make care more financially accessible  
  Consumer Action reports on several programs, plans and services to help low-income and newly unemployed consumers get the healthcare coverage and medical care they need. Read the story.  
  Does my insurance cover virtual visits?  
  During the coronavirus pandemic most doctor visits have gone online, making it important to understand health insurance coverage for telemedicine. Insurer policies can vary greatly depending on the insurance company and the state you live in. Read the story.
  
  Telemedicine: Tomorrow's health care today  
  Since the COVID-19 crisis required the availability of virtual healthcare visits, consumers have come to rely on these convenient sessions, conducted via smartphone or computer. Consumer Action explains how telemedicine can both increase and decrease access to health care. Read the story.  
  Medical data protection  
  While smartphones are helping patients stay in contact with their healthcare providers, and contact tracing may help shorten the COVID-19 crisis, privacy rules are being relaxed to make it easier for providers to access and share patients' health information. There are steps you can take to protect your medical records. Read the story.  
  Tips to deal with medical debt  
  Even with health insurance, more and more Americans are unable to afford their medical bills. Consumer Action offers tips on how to tackle--or even reduce--mounting medical debt. Read the story.  
Consumer Action
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Consumer Action has been a champion of underrepresented consumers nationwide since 1971. A non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, Consumer Action focuses on financial education that empowers low- and moderate-income and limited-English-speaking consumers to financially prosper.

By providing financial education materials in multiple languages, a free national hotline and ongoing financial services research, Consumer Action helps consumers assert their rights in the marketplace and make financially savvy choices.

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