Investigating medical debt at your local hospital | HJ26

An estimated 100 million people in the U.S. have some form of health care debt, much of it in hospital bills — but not all hospitals are the same. Some offer a lot of financial aid to patients, some hardly any. Some sue patients and some don't. We'll give you practical tips for how to assess what hospitals in your community are doing. You'll hear from experts and experienced reporters who've dug into their hospitals. You'll also learn how hospitals report charity care, how to find patients, how to evaluate hospital financial assistance policies, and how to use court records, financial filings and state and federal hospital data. ______________________ Moderator Noam Levey, KFF Health News, Senior Correspondent Speakers Molly Castle Work, Minnesota Public Radio, Healthcare Reporter Jeremy Olson, Star Tribune Rachel King, Children’s Minnesota, Director of Finance and Contracting This session was recorded at Health Journalism 2026 in Minneapolis. To learn more about the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism, visit healthjournalism.org. Footage captured by Audio Visual Production Solutions Video Editor: Hyacinth Empinado