We All Depend on Someone. Let’s Celebrate That.
Co-published with The New York Times. Americans are taught that they have to go it alone. That’s a dangerous myth.
I’ve Been Plagued by Medical Debt for Years. Here’s What Happened When I Tried to Pay a $2 Medical Bill.
Co-published with Slate. Recent changes—and more coming in early 2023—could bring some relief to a very broken system.
Why Some Long COVID Clinics Fail Chronic Illness Patients
Co-published with Popular Science. Roughly 16 million Americans are living with long COVID, but many are not getting the right medical care. One way to improve the …
Tackling Cancer While Battling the Insurance System
Co-published with The Washington Post. Even plans that are supposed to save patients money can end up costing them dearly.
On Our Last Legs
Co-published with The Nation. Due to high costs, many Americans have to ration the medicine and medical equipment they rely on.
My Mother Was Dying of COVID. Being Poor Made It So Much Worse.
Published in The Washington Post. I realized long ago that there are two separate and very different health-care systems in this country.
37,000 U.S. Veterans Are Homeless. I Was One of Them.
Co-published with Newsweek. So many veterans who leave the tangle of war end up on America's streets, still fighting daily for their survival.
John Koopman: Stars and Stripes and Strip Clubs
Co-published with The Nation. How a war correspondent found himself bouncing rowdy customers at a strip club—and what came next.
The Trap Doors and Dead Ends of Trying to Get Treated for Long Covid
Co-published with The New Republic. Experts say the long-Covid crisis will mirror the pandemic itself, creating a “tsunami of disability” that will take a disproportionate toll on …
Appalachia’s Hospital Closures Are a Slow-Motion Health Care Emergency
Co-published with The Nation. Unless there are drastic changes to how we apportion health care in this country, the future of rural care will be either …
My Year Without Health Insurance
Co-published with The American Prospect. Christian health shares market themselves as a cheaper alternative, but have no obligation to actually pay health care bills. Life under them …
The Feds Are About to Stick It to Pain Patients in a Big Way
Co-published with VICE. Doctors are already getting spooked out of prescribing painkillers, and new rules could make life in some of America's struggling communities even worse.