Many In High Risk Pools Aren’t Protected From Lifetime Coverage Limits
Thanks to the health care overhaul, most people no longer have to worry about getting sick and running out of health insurance coverage. The law eliminated lifetime limits, which ran in many plans from $1 million to $2 million. Unfortunately, though, the change doesn’t apply to plans that enroll some of the sickest people: those […]
People In State High-Risk Insurance Plans Often Feel Left Behind
The federal health law set up new plans that are cheaper and more comprehensive than the older ones run by states but consumers need to go without insurance for six months to qualify.
Hospitals Seek To Attract Business With Patient Perks
The rewards range from free parking and gift-shop discounts to wellness seminars and even social mixers.
Peeking In On Your Doctor’s Notes
The movement to give patients direct access to their health information has picked up steam.
Advocate of health overhaul uses a comic-book style narrative to describe the federal law and its provisions.
Work Insurance Often Offers Coverage For Programs To Stop Smoking
Some companies are also penalizing employees who don’t give up cigarettes by hitting them with higher health insurance premiums.
Coverage Of Bariatric Surgery Is Spotty For Obese Kids
Experts in pediatric obesity say that caution is warranted, but some physicians see the operations as offering a safe chance to take off significant weight and avoid harmful disease.
Some Companies Base Premiums On Employee’s Salary
Although few employers have used this strategy, consultants say it could help many in 2014 meet new requirements in the health law.
Medicare Offers Expanded Coverage To Battle Expanding Waistlines
Keeping off the pounds is tough at any age. Now seniors are getting a helping hand from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which has announced that it will cover screening and counseling for obesity as a free preventive service for Medicare beneficiaries. Coverage is effective immediately. Advocates hope that CMS’ decision may […]
Both Patients And Physicians Can Suffer When Test Results Aren’t Reported
The push for better coordination of patient care, including the adoption of electronic medical records, should help improve the delivery of test results to patients from doctors and to doctors from those who perform the tests.
N.Y. Malpractice Program May Offer Model For Medical Liability Cases
Under the system, when a lawsuit is filed, a judge with expertise in medical matters becomes the point person for that case and helps broker a settlement.
Hospitals Offering Complementary Medical Therapies
Experts say the move comes with consumers’ willingness to spend money on therapies such as acupuncture and massage and with the recognition that some can be effective.
After Bike Crash In Canada, Columnist Finds No Clear Road To Recovery At Home In NYC
After a serious bike crash in Canada, a writer returns home and finds many uncertainties in her medical options.
$6.8 Billion Spent Yearly On 12 Unnecessary Tests And Treatments
The conclusion comes from a study that looked at procedures and prescriptions ordered by primary care doctors frequently.
High-Deductible Health Plans More Common On Employers’ Menus
Health plan deductibles keep inching up. When employees sign up for coverage this fall during their company’s annual enrollment period, nearly a quarter will face annual deductibles of at least $1,000, according to a recent employer survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.) At small companies, the high-deductible option, […]
Premiums, Deductibles And Cost Sharing In Employer Health Plans Keep Rising
As they shoulder more health care expenses, workers in some plans can reduce their costs by participating in company wellness programs.
Helping Patients Know Their ‘Medical Mind’ Can Ease Uncertainty
In a new book, oncologist and New Yorker writer Jerome Groopman and his wife, endocrinologist Pamela Hartzband, encourage consumers to chart their own path when looking at treatment decisions.
The Five Cancers Most Likely To Push You Over The Financial Edge
Cancer often takes a heavy toll not only on people’s bodies but on their finances as well. And just as some types of cancer are more deadly than others, some types cause more financial pain, as recent research from Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center shows. When researchers examined bankruptcy rates in Washington state and […]
When Battling Cancer, Patients Often Face Hefty Expenses
Advances in treatment, including new drugs and high-tech procedures, can be costly, even for those with insurance.
Memphis Hospital Teams Up With Churches To Deliver Care
The Methodist Le Bonheur system and about 400 churches work together to make sure church members have social support when they go into the hospital and when they come out.
