Marshall Allen
Marshall Allen was previously a reporter at ProPublica investigating the cost and quality of our health care.
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Marshall Allen was a reporter at ProPublica investigating the cost and quality of our health care. He is one of the creators of ProPublica’s Surgeon Scorecard, which published the complication rates for about 17,000 surgeons who perform eight common elective procedures. Allen’s work has been honored with several journalism awards, including the Harvard Kennedy School’s 2011 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting and coming in as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for local reporting for work at the Las Vegas Sun, where he worked before coming to ProPublica in 2011. Before he was in journalism, Allen spent five years in full-time ministry, including three years in Nairobi, Kenya. He has a master’s degree in Theology.
Do You Work in the Health Insurance Field? ProPublica Is Investigating the Industry and We’d Like Your Help
We need your perspective on the health insurance hustle.
Why Your Health Insurer Doesn’t Care About Your Big Bills
Patients may think their insurers are fighting on their behalf for the best prices. But saving patients money is often not their top priority. Just ask Michael Frank.
Unnecessary Medical Care Is More Common Than You Think
A study in Washington state found that in a single year more than 600,000 patients underwent treatment they didn’t need, at an estimated cost of $282 million. “Do no harm” should include the cost of care, too, the report author says.
Want to Lower Health Care Costs? Stop Wasting Our Money.
This year ProPublica documented the many ways waste is baked into our health care system, from destroying perfectly good medication to junking brand new supplies. Eliminating the waste could insure millions of Americans.
A Prescription for Reducing Wasted Health Care Spending
A ProPublica series has illustrated the many ways the U.S. health care system leaks money. Health care leaders and policymakers suggest ways to plug the holes.
More States Hatch Plans to Recycle Drugs Being Wasted in Nursing Homes
After reading ProPublica’s story, lawmakers in Florida and New Hampshire say they plan to follow the example of an Iowa nonprofit that redistributes leftover medications to needy patients.
Seven Ways Patients Can Protect Themselves From Outrageous Medical Bills
Experts in reducing charges for medical services say patients need to push for detailed answers up front about the true costs of their care.
A Hospital Charged $1,877 to Pierce a 5-Year-Old’s Ears. This Is Why Health Care Costs So Much.
An epidemic of unnecessary treatment is wasting billions of health care dollars a year. Patients and taxpayers are paying for it.
Senators Introduce Bill to Reduce ‘Colossal and Completely Preventable Waste’
The senators cited a ProPublica story that found that drug companies have been making patients pay for oversized eyedrops and more liquid cancer medications than they need.
Drug Companies Make Eyedrops Too Big — And You Pay for the Waste
The makers of cancer drugs also make vials with too much medication for many patients. The excess drugs are tossed in the trash — another reason health care costs are so high.