While the U.S. economy is arguably inching toward improvement, costs for health insurance continue to climb. Combined with still-high unemployment and a growing number of employers requiring employees to pay a larger share of their insurance premiums, and there are a lot of uninsured and under-insured Americans out there. And according to the Consumer Reports annual prescription drug poll, a growing number of these people are going without needed care or medication. [More]
health care
When Hospital Systems Acquire Private Practices, We All Pay More For Health Care
By 8.27.12
A growing number of private health care practices are being purchased by hospitals. And even if that practice remains changed in all other ways, you can expect that the costs for procedures and visits will increase dramatically. [More]
Which Strange Home Remedies Do You Swear By?
By 8.14.12
I spent the better part of a day last week attempting to keep chicken soup and ginger ale down as my system fought off some mysterious one-day bug. I’d thought about mentioning my illness to my friends on Facebook (I don’t have kids, so what else am I going to post about?) but didn’t want to be inundated with hundreds of tips on sure-fire home-brewed remedies. [More]
Will Affordable Care Act Lead To More Or Less People With Employer-Sponsored Insurance? (Hint: No One Knows)
By 8.13.12
With the clock ticking down to 2014, when many of the controversial portions of the Affordable Care Act start kicking in, the folks at the Government Accountability Office thought they would look into whether or not certain provisions in the law would cause some employers to stop offering health insurance to employees, or cause them to add benefits, or lead consumers to look for cheaper options elsewhere. After sifting through available studies, the GAO came to a conclusion that we’ll probably just have to wait and see. [More]
Photographic Evidence That Hospitals Should Maybe Rethink How They Bill Patients
By 8.13.12
Twice a week for the past three months, Consumerist reader P. has been going to her hospital’s gym for brief, doctor-ordered cardio workouts. Her insurance isn’t footing the bill and each session is only $9.00, so she’s been assuming that the hospital was wisely waiting until her tab reached an amount worth billing before it sent an invoice. Not exactly… [More]
What's To Come Of All The Space Left Over By Shrinking Big Box Stores?
By 8.10.12
In recent years, a number of big box retailers and department store chains have begun the process of closing stores and cutting the size of some existing outlets. But since there isn’t exactly a huge rush by other retailers to snap up those spaces, are we going to inundated with empty ghost stores that stand as a reminder of the big box boom? [More]
Cancer-Stricken Student Convinces Aetna CEO To Pay Off His Medical Bills Via Twitter
By 8.2.12
Talk about the power of social media — one graduate student battling Stage IV colon cancer in Arizona found out his Aetna health insurance plan had exceeded his $300,000 limit.He took to Twitter to express his frustration as his medical bills continued to grow and it turns out someone very influential was listening — the CEO of Aetna, who has subsequently agreed to pay “every last penny” of the man’s medical expenses and agrees that the healthcare system is broken. [More]
Wide Array Of Women's Health Care Costs Must Be Covered By New Insurance Plans As Of Today
By 8.1.12
A few months ago the Obama administration announced new rules as part of its health care reform plan requiring U.S. insurers to cover a wide swath of preventative health services for women at no extra cost to women, including contraceptives, breast-feeding supplies and gestational diabetes screening for pregnant women, prenatal care, routine breast and pelvic examps and pap tests. Starting today, all of those things will be covered in new plans as well as renewed plans. [More]
Report: Supreme Court Ruling Means Affordable Care Act Will Be Cheaper But 3 Million Will Go Uninsured
By 7.25.12
The Congressional Budget Office has been busy crunching numbers since President Obama’s health-care initiative was upheld by last month’s Supreme Court ruling, and it seems there’s a little bit of both good and bad news as a result. The bulk of the Affordable Care Act was upheld in the ruling and it turns out it’ll be cheaper to execute than previously thought, but the decision also means it will leave millions of people without insurance. [More]
Shortages Force Paramedics To Use Expired Drugs
By 7.13.12
Many of us have probably popped a pill or two that we knew had passed its expiration date. But when you get medical care from professionals, there is usually the expectation that you’re getting the freshest stuff available. But a conspiracy of conditions has led to some emergency responders stocking their ambulances with out-of-date drugs. [More]
Will States Eventually Opt In To Medicaid Expansion?
By 7.11.12
With several states’ governors already saying they will opt out of the Medicaid expansion intended to bring health care to millions of currently uninsured Americans, some are calling it the death knell for this portion of the Affordable Care Act. But others say that the federal subsidies will be too tempting, and that it’s just a matter of time until these states decide to take part in the program. [More]
Texas Governor Says No To Medicaid Expansion
By 7.9.12
Last week, while states like Florida and South Carolina were stating their intentions to opt out of the portion of the Affordable Care Act that expands Medicaid coverage to millions of Americans, Texas — where approximately 2 million currently uninsured residents would have been eligible for coverage. remained oddly quiet on the matter. That is, until Governor Rick Perry declared his intention this morning. [More]
Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act’s Individual Insurance Requirement
By 6.28.12
In today’s big news, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the individual insurance requirement that was the key part of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, by a vote of 5-4. The court rejected arguments that Congress went too far in requiring most Americans to either have health insurance by 2014 or pay a fine. [More]
Health Care Is Getting So Expensive, Young Adults Would Rather Just Skip It
By 6.8.12
Who needs silly things like prescriptions and MRIs when health care costs so much? Not the millions of young adults who are skipping necessary care and treatment because of the rising cost of getting medical attention, says a new report. [More]
Retired Couples Need $240,000 Just To Cover Health Care Costs
By 5.10.12
If you and your loved one are looking down the road toward living out your golden years together, be prepared to have a pile of cash stashed away to cover your medical bills. [More]
People In 49 States Saw Significant Decline In Health Care Access During Last Decade
By 5.9.12
During the previous decade, millions of Americans, regardless of whether they have insurance or not, found it increasingly more difficult to find — or afford — seeing the doctor or dentist, according to a new study from the folks at the Urban Institute. [More]
Health Care Fraud Prosecutions Up 78% Since Launch Of Affordable Care Act
By 5.8.12
It’s been more than two years since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, and while the Supreme Court mulls over the reform’s future, a look back over the last couple years shows a sharp increase in health care-related criminal fraud charges. [More]
Bioethicist: If We're Going To Tax Obese People More, We Should Tax Cat Owners Too
By 5.3.12
A growing number of people believe that obese Americans should pay more in taxes than healthy folks since being overweight can put you at a higher risk for health problems. It’s similar to the logic used to justify additional taxes on cigarettes. But bioethicist Art Caplan asks: Why not tax cat owners more while we’re at it? [More]
