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NFL's relationship with Jay-Z, Roc Nation 'not changing' after rape allegation against rapper, Goodell saysIn April, just 12 weeks into her pregnancy, Kathleen Clark was standing at the receptionist window of her OB-GYN’s office when she was asked to pay $960, the total the office estimated she would owe after she delivered. Clark, 39, was shocked that she was asked to pay that amount during this second prenatal visit. Normally, patients receive the bill after insurance has paid its part, and for pregnant women that’s usually only when the pregnancy ends. It would be months before the office filed the claim with her health insurer. Clark said she felt stuck. The Cleveland, Tennessee, obstetrics practice was affiliated with a birthing center where she wanted to deliver. Plus, she and her husband had been wanting to have a baby for a long time. And Clark was emotional, because just weeks earlier her mother had died. “You’re standing there at the window, and there’s people all around, and you’re trying to be really nice,” recalled Clark, through tears. “So, I paid it.” On online and other , pregnant women say they are being asked by their providers to pay out-of-pocket fees earlier than expected. The practice is legal, but patient advocacy groups call it unethical. Medical providers argue that asking for payment up front ensures they get compensated for their services. How frequently this happens is hard to track because it is considered a private transaction between the provider and the patient. Therefore, the payments are not recorded in insurance claims data and are not studied by researchers. Patients, medical billing experts, and patient advocates say the billing practice causes unexpected anxiety at a time of already heightened stress and financial pressure. Estimates can sometimes be higher than what a patient might ultimately owe and force people to fight for refunds if they miscarry or the amount paid was higher than the final bill. Up-front payments also create hurdles for women who may want to switch providers if they are unhappy with their care. In some cases, they may cause women to forgo prenatal care altogether, especially in places where few other maternity care options exist. It’s “holding their treatment hostage,” said Caitlin Donovan, a senior director at the . Medical billing and women’s health experts believe OB-GYN offices adopted the practice to manage the high cost of maternity care and the way it is billed for in the U.S. When a pregnancy ends, OB-GYNs typically file a single insurance claim for routine prenatal care, labor, delivery, and, often, postpartum care. That practice of bundling all maternity care into one billing code began three decades ago, said Lisa Satterfield, senior director of health and payment policy at the . But such bundled billing has become outdated, she said. Previously, pregnant patients had been subject to copayments for each prenatal visit, which might lead them to skip crucial appointments to save money. But the Affordable Care Act now requires all commercial insurers to fully cover certain prenatal services. Plus, it’s become more common for pregnant women to switch providers, or have different providers handle prenatal care, labor, and delivery — especially in rural areas where patient transfers are common. Some providers say prepayments allow them to over the course of the pregnancy to ensure that they are compensated for the care they do provide, even if they don’t ultimately deliver the baby. “You have people who, unfortunately, are not getting paid for the work that they do,” said Pamela Boatner, who works as a midwife in a Georgia hospital. While she believes women should receive pregnancy care regardless of their ability to pay, she also understands that some providers want to make sure their bill isn’t ignored after the baby is delivered. New parents might be overloaded with hospital bills and the costs of caring for a new child, and they may lack income if a parent isn’t working, Boatner said. In the U.S., having a baby can be expensive. People who obtain health insurance through large employers pay an average of nearly $3,000 out-of-pocket for pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care, according to the . In addition, many people are opting for high-deductible health insurance plans, leaving them to shoulder a larger share of the costs. Of the with health care debt, 12% attribute at least some of it to maternity care, according to . Families need time to save money for the high costs of pregnancy, childbirth, and child care, especially if they lack paid maternity leave, said , CEO of the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, a Los Angeles-based policy think tank. Asking them to prepay “is another gut punch,” she said. “What if you don’t have the money? Do you put it on credit cards and hope your credit card goes through?” Calculating the final costs of childbirth depends on multiple factors, such as the , plan benefits, and health complications, said , a health policy researcher at the University of Southern California’s Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. The final bill for the patient is unclear until a health plan decides how much of the claim it will cover, she said. But sometimes the option to wait for the insurer is taken away. During Jamie Daw’s first pregnancy in 2020, her OB-GYN accepted her refusal to pay in advance because Daw wanted to see the final bill. But in 2023, during her second pregnancy, a private midwifery practice in New York told her that since she had a high-deductible plan, it was mandatory to pay $2,000 spread out with monthly payments. Daw, a health policy researcher at Columbia University, delivered in September 2023 and got a refund check that November for $640 to cover the difference between the estimate and the final bill. “I study health insurance,” she said. “But, as most of us know, it’s so complicated when you’re really living it.” While the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover some prenatal services, it doesn’t prohibit providers from sending their final bill to patients early. It would be a challenge politically and practically for state and federal governments to attempt to regulate the timing of the payment request, said , a co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University. Medical lobbying groups are powerful and contracts between insurers and medical providers are proprietary. Because of the legal gray area, , an insurance broker at Rapha Health and Life in Texas, advises clients to ask their insurer if they can refuse to prepay their deductible. Some insurance plans prohibit providers in their network from requiring payment up front. If the insurer says they can refuse to pay up front, Marshall said, she tells clients to get established with a practice before declining to pay, so that the provider can’t refuse treatment. Related Articles Clark said she met her insurance deductible after paying for genetic testing, extra ultrasounds, and other services out of her health care flexible spending account. Then she called her OB-GYN’s office and asked for a refund. “I got my spine back,” said Clark, who had previously worked at a health insurer and a medical office. She got an initial check for about half the $960 she originally paid. In August, Clark was sent to the hospital after her blood pressure spiked. A high-risk pregnancy specialist — not her original OB-GYN practice — delivered her son, Peter, prematurely via emergency cesarean section at 30 weeks. It was only after she resolved most of the bills from the delivery that she received the rest of her refund from the other OB-GYN practice. This final check came in October, just days after Clark brought Peter home from the hospital, and after multiple calls to the office. She said it all added stress to an already stressful period. “Why am I having to pay the price as a patient?” she said. “I’m just trying to have a baby.” ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Former US president Jimmy Carter dies aged 100
Throughout the 2024 TV schedule , the cast and crew of Saturday Night Live have been aiming to deliver laughs amid the show’s milestone 50th season. Chloe Fineman is one of the many stars who’s been putting in work, especially when it comes to her celebrity impressions. One of the comedian’s most notable impersonations is that of pop star JoJo Siwa , which she broke out for a sketch that aired during the show’s’ latest episode. Now, Siwa herself is suggesting a change Fineman should make, and I can see it. Jojo Siwa previously commented on SNL ’s impression of her when Chloe Fineman played her during a later episode amid Season 49. During that appearance, Fineman sported a black-sequined look similar to the “Karma” singer’s real attire. Siwa lauded the performance on social media, referring to it as “iconic.” When the songstress spoke to People about Fineman’s latest performance, she had more praise to share, though she had one critique related to physicality: I think she needs to be a little more full out in the dance, but other than that, everything was perfect. Chloe Fineman most recently portrayed JoJo Siwa during the show’s latest episode a few weeks ago, which saw Charli XCX host and perform. One pre-recorded sketch parodied the auditions for Wicked , the recently released film based on the Broadway play of the same name. As part of that segment, Fineman and others like Sarah Sherman, Bowen Yang, and Charli herself lampooned the likes of Bernie Sanders, Troye Sivan and Adele. Fineman also portrayed Martha Stewart , Sydney Sweeney and Leslie Mann, in addition to Siwa: The Megalopolis actress has been on NBC’s long-running sketch comedy series for nearly six years now and, in that time, she’s been making a name for herself. Her comedic timing and celebrity impressions have turned some heads, and her skills only seem to be improving. Given that she’s now a veteran, she provided some advice for Season 50 newbies , telling them to “have fun” as they’re essentially “thrown into the fire.” That’s keen advice. At this point, there’s no way to tell whether Chloe Fineman will reprise her role as JoJo Siwa before the landmark season ends. Should she don another sequined outfit, though, I’d love to see her take heed of the pop star’s advice. The results could be truly laugh-worthy. SNL Season 50’s hosts and musical guests have been top notch, the show returns with host Paul Mescal and musical guest Shaboozey on December 7 at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. You can also stream past episodes by using an active Peacock subscription . CINEMABLEND NEWSLETTER Your Daily Blend of Entertainment NewsMurders, fake nurse, fraud and Chinese documents case occupy B.C. courts in 2024
The NFL ’s relationship with Jay-Z and his Roc Nation brand is not changing after a woman accused the rapper of rape in a lawsuit, commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday. “We know about the civil allegations and Jay-Z’s very strong response to that,” Goodell said at the league meetings in Dallas on Wednesday. “From our standpoint, our relationship is not changing ... including our preparations for the next Super Bowl.” Advertisement A woman previously sued Sean “Diddy” Combs and alleged he raped her at a 2000 Video Music Awards after-party when she was 13. On Sunday, the woman amended the lawsuit to include Jay-Z, whom she said was present at the party and participated in the sexual assault, according to the Associated Press . Jay-Z denied the allegations in a statement released on X on Sunday by Roc Nation , calling them “so heinous in nature that I implore (the accuser) to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!!” He said his lawyer received a demand letter from attorney Tony Buzbee as a “blackmail attempt” but the letter had the opposite effect. “I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!” Jay-Z said in the statement. On Monday, lawyers for Jay-Z said they sued Buzbee in November, claiming that he was attempting to extort money from the rapper by making false assault claims, according to The New York Times . Buzbee has called the lawsuit from Jay-Z “utterly frivolous.” Buzbee has represented several accusers in the sexual assault and misconduct civil lawsuits against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson . Watson has reached settlements with over two dozen women who accused him of sexual misconduct. The NFL first partnered with Roc Nation in 2019 as the league’s live music entertainment strategists, hoping Jay-Z could infuse new energy into Super Bowl halftime performances. Roc Nation collaborates with the NFL and Apple Music to choose the halftime artists and selected Rihanna, Usher and The Weeknd in recent years and tabbed Kendrick Lamar for the 2025 halftime show. In October, the NFL announced that it had extended its partnership with Roc Nation, which includes the company’s involvement in the league’s social justice causes. “I think they’re getting incredibly comfortable with not just the Super Bowl but other events that they’ve advised us on,” Goodell said Wednesday of the NFL’s relationship with Roc Nation. “They’ve been helpful in social justice areas with us on many occasions. They’ve been great partners.” Required reading (Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)
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