comprehensive -WSS

comprehensive

author：leisure time 2025-08-03 03:30:47 - browse：66

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： Moonlake's readout produced a cash windfall. Risks remain
Next article： 10 million people disenrolled from Medicaid over past six months

WSS

AstraZeneca CEO says participant had neurological symptoms, could be discharged today

Arizona Democrat to raise extreme heat with Biden 1 year out from Senate primary

3 dead in firefighting helicopter crash in California after midair collision with 2nd helicopter

Biden will tout long

Thousands of Marines and sailors deploy to Middle East to deter Iran from seizing ships

Diversify hospital leadership teams to protect BIPOC patient health

leisure time

comprehensive

This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers

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

hotspot

Guidelines to prevent youth baseball injuries need more muscle

Don't let 'shelved assets' gather dust. Make them into new lifesaving drugs

Guidelines to prevent youth baseball injuries need more muscle

STAT Executive Editor Rick Berke on STAT's 8th birthday

As demand for Covid shots wanes, Moderna seeks its next success

Excited delirium, Elijah McClain, and emergency physicians

Medical leaders decry Supreme Court decision on affirmative action

Will General Catalyst be the first of many hospital takeovers?

Apple is now the first public company to be valued at $3 trillion

Boeing's 1st astronaut flight bumped into next year, more repairs needed

explore

In medicine, common shorthands can shortchange care

HPV cancer vaccine study demonstrates efficacy

3 dead in firefighting helicopter crash in California after midair collision with 2nd helicopter

Boeing's 1st astronaut flight bumped into next year, more repairs needed

STAT Executive Editor Rick Berke on STAT's 8th birthday

Teen said 'homophobic slurs' before O'Shae Sibley killing: Criminal complaint

Wikipedia

hotspot

focus

focus