knowledge -WSS

knowledge

author：hotspot 2025-08-11 09:49:50 - browse：41442

Five people put coins in a box containing coins and cash on stage — coverage from STAT — Adobe

In the United States, health care costs are so out of control that medical crowdfunding has become commonplace. The idea is simple: turn your social network into a financial safety net to cover the cost of expensive treatments or long illnesses. Millions of Americans have started crowdfunding campaigns for medical bills, and tens of millions have donated to them, mostly through the undisputed sector leader, GoFundMe.

Nora Kenworthy, a nursing and health studies professor at the University of Washington, Bothell, has spent years studying the world of crowdfunding for health care — along with the way it ends up amplifying the inequities that already dictate who goes into medical debt.

In her new book, “Crowded Out: The True Costs of Crowdfunding Healthcare,” which will be released on Tuesday, she looks at what she calls the “toxicities” that drive medical crowdfunding campaigns. STAT spoke with Kenworthy about those issues, as well as the difficult moral decisions potential donors face when deciding whether to contribute. The following interview is condensed and edited for clarity.

STAT+ Exclusive Story

Already have an account? Log in

This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers

Unlock this article — plus in-depth analysis, newsletters, premium events, and networking platform access.

Already have an account? Log in

Monthly

$39

Totals $468 per year

$39/month Get Started

Totals $468 per year

Starter

$30

for 3 months, then $39/month

$30 for 3 months Get Started

Then $39/month

Annual

$399

Save 15%

$399/year Get Started

Save 15%

11+ Users

Custom

Savings start at 25%!

Request A Quote Request A Quote

Savings start at 25%!

2-10 Users

$300

Annually per user

$300/year Get Started

$300 Annually per user

View All Plans

Get unlimited access to award-winning journalism and exclusive events.

Subscribe Log In

Previous article： How to save PrEP access — and even expand it
Next article： Doctors in states that ban abortion can still help patients

WSS

What AstraZeneca

Stem cell clinics for heart failure: buyer be wary

Biden has enormous polling lead in Democratic primary, despite challenge from RFK Jr.

What the cancer research community can learn from the Covid response

China demands US invite Hong Kong leader to economic meeting, adding to strains over crackdown

Doctors in states that ban abortion can still help patients

focus

knowledge

This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers

Unlock this article — plus in-depth analysis, newsletters, premium events, and networking platform access.

focus

Continuity nursing helped my family in our darkest PICU moments

Nearly two

23andMe had bad news about my health. I wish a person had delivered it

What Henrietta Lacks settlement says about racism in medicine

Medicare details structure of new drug price negotiation program

Typhoon Doksuri makes landfall in China after bringing deadly landslides to Philippines

Peter Hotez and the public health issue of online harassment

American TikTok star stuck in Dubai for months following rental car altercation

Activists slam private health insurers over coverage restrictions

A cyberattack has disrupted hospitals and health care in several states

hotspot

Microsoft strikes partnership with Duke Health to advance health AI

For BCIs, commercial hurdles may be bigger than scientific ones

Many immigrants are left out of maternal health programs

Doctors increasingly discourage vaping amid mounting health concerns

American TikTok star stuck in Dubai for months following rental car altercation

ER docs worry over extreme heat as a 'mass casualty event'

focus

Wikipedia

knowledge

focus