Sarah Kliff

A law meant to end surprise medical billing accidentally created a multibillion-dollar industry that is making doctors richer.

Plus, the Labubus linked to forced labor.

Vice President JD Vance said the state had not done enough to fight fraud in the public health insurance program.

The Justice Department claims that clinics used fake diagnoses and kickbacks to parents to bring children into treatment.

The industry has grown rapidly, straining state budgets. A focus on finances has led to overbilling, fraud and even harm.

By tightening an exception for people with serious illnesses, more of them may lose coverage.

Congressional leaders have described it as an effort to reduce “waste, fraud and abuse” in the program.

CONCORD, N.C. — On a sunny Wednesday morning last month, dozens of preschoolers filed into a Compleat Kidz autism clinic in Concord, North Carolina.

WASHINGTON — Medicare paid nearly $15 billion in 2025 for expensive wound coverings called skin substitutes, a spending spike that analysts have called one of the largest examples of waste in the federal health program's history.

A law meant to end surprise medical billing has led to large paydays for some surgical assistants, who can earn far more than the doctors they help.