Employers Shift More Health Costs To Workers, Survey Finds
Even as premiums for employer-based insurance increased only moderately this year, deductibles rose faster than total spending.
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From Pills To Pins: Oregon Is Changing How It Deals With Back Pain
Alternative therapies aren’t proven to work any better than drugs — and they may even cost more. But Oregon hopes paying for them will reduce costs of hospitalizing for, and treatment of, opioid abuse.
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Tech Options Helping Patients Wrest Control From Doctors
Dr. Eric Topol says smartphones and other technology allow patients to monitor and control their chronic health issues.
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Attention Shoppers: New Calif. Website Details Costs, Quality of Medical Procedures
Seeking to create smarter consumers, the California insurance department unveils a website showing wide variation in costs and quality of medical services across the state.
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Surge In Statin Use Among Very Elderly Without Heart Trouble Raises Doubts
Preventive medicine trend highlights shortage of studies on drugs’ effects on very elderly.
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How One Home Health Agency Earned Five Stars
In North Carolina, Brookdale Home Health Charlotte was one of just two agencies out of the state’s 172 to earn the maximum five stars from the federal government.
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Study Finds Improvements In Pay, But Not Equity, For Women Anesthesiologists
RAND Corp. researchers find that more women are going into anesthesiology and getting paid better, but they still trail their male counterparts.
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In Colorado, Health Insurance Surges But Cost Still A Concern
A comprehensive statewide survey shows Colorado cut its uninsured rate in half, with one in five state residents on Medicaid. But out-of-pocket health expenses can still be hard for families to afford.
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Nearly 9 Million People Gained Insurance In Health Marketplace’s First Year
The Census Bureau reports that the uninsured rate fell from 13.3 percent of the population to 10.4 percent. Still 33 million people had no insurance.
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In L.A., Longevity And Health In Later Life Vary By Community
A report on aging in L.A. County finds pronounced differences in life expectancy and in the health of older residents, depending on ethnicity and neighborhood.
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Under Pressure, Hospitals Push Physicians To Improve Their Bedside Manners
Motivated by financial incentives and consumer demands, medical centers are creating programs to infuse more compassion and understanding into the doctor-patient relationship.
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The Gender Gap Persists In Academic Medicine, Studies Find
Research in JAMA concludes that even after accounting for factors such as experience, age and research, women do not get promoted as often to full professor jobs in academic medical centers.
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Ouch! Vaccination Rates for Older Adults Falling Short
Millions of Americans over 60 are risking illnesses by skipping their shots.
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Small Changes Can Have Notable Effects In Workers’ Coverage Or Costs
As the fall enrollment window begins for job-based insurance, workers may see a number of changes in provisions such as wellness programs, dependents’ coverage and specialty drug spending.
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California Aid-In-Dying Bill Heads To Governor’s Desk
California would become the fifth state to allow doctors to prescribe lethal medication to terminally ill patients who request it.
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New Heart Failure Treatments Would Drive Up Short-Term Health Spending, Report Says
In an analysis, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review concluded that price cuts are needed to control the budgetary impact.
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Medicare Yet To Save Money Through Heralded Medical Payment Model
The government expected accountable care organizations to save Medicare millions by now, but the program is falling short of targets, records show. KHN also has performance data for all 353 ACOs in 2014.
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Urgent Care
This model of care is one of the ways created by the Affordable Care Act to reduce health care costs while improving quality of care. You can also watch the accompanying video that explains ACOs.
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Calif. Lawmakers Approve Bill Requiring Drug Labeling In 5 Foreign Languages
If Gov. Jerry Brown signs the measure, all pharmacies will have to provide medication instructions in Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese, Vietnamese or Korean, the most common languages in California after English.
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New Hope Beats For Heart Patients And Hospitals
The number of heart valve surgeries has risen more than 50 percent since 2012, demonstrating the hospital industry’s record of finding new ways to fill beds and increase revenue even as advances in health and technology shrink demand for inpatient care. Still, patient risk and cost concerns persist.
