ANNOUNCEMENT

These 11 companies will be featured in the MedCity ENGAGE Innovation Showcase June 5-6 in Washington, D.C.

Michelle Andrews

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Questions arise about robotic surgery’s cost, effectiveness

Questions arise about robotic surgery’s cost, effectiveness

April 23, 2013 5:48 am by | 0 Comments

In the dozen years since the Da Vinci robot has been approved for surgeries in the United States, it’s been embraced by health care providers and patients alike. Surgeons routinely use ... Read more

Questions about colon screening coverage still vex consumers

Questions about colon screening coverage still vex consumers

April 16, 2013 5:55 am by | 0 Comments

No one looks forward to screening tests for colon and rectal cancers. But under the Affordable Care Act, patients are at least supposed to save on out of-pocket costs for ... Read more


Same-sex spouses can face barriers on health care under federal law

Same-sex spouses can face barriers on health care under federal law

April 9, 2013 5:51 am by | 0 Comments

According to a report published by two think tanks, the Center for American Progress and the Williams Institute, which conducts research on gender identity and sexual orientation, an employee who ... Read more

Large companies increasingly offering workers only high deductible health plans

Large companies increasingly offering workers only high deductible health plans

March 26, 2013 5:00 am by | 0 Comments

Historically, one of the perks of working at a big company has been generous health benefits with modest out-of-pocket costs. But increasingly, large companies are offering their employees only one ... Read more

Group appointments with doctors: when three isn’t a crowd

Group appointments with doctors: when three isn’t a crowd

March 19, 2013 6:29 am by | 0 Comments

When visiting the doctor, there may be strength in numbers.In recent years, a growing number of doctors have begun holding group appointments -- seeing up to a dozen patients with ... Read more

Contraceptive coverage: mostly free, but read the fine print

Contraceptive coverage: mostly free, but read the fine print

March 5, 2013 5:52 am by | 0 Comments

This week, I answer readers' questions about birth-control coverage requirements under the Affordable Care Act and subsidized coverage on the state-based health insurance exchanges. Q: Regarding contraceptive coverage, some non-grandfathered ... Read more

Long-term-care insurance about to get 40% more expensive for women

Long-term-care insurance about to get 40% more expensive for women

February 26, 2013 4:33 am by | 0 Comments

Starting next year, the Affordable Care Act will largely prohibit insurers who sell individual and small-group health policies from charging women higher premiums than men for the same coverage.Long-term-care insurance, ... Read more


New coverage may spur younger women to use long-acting contraceptives

New coverage may spur younger women to use long-acting contraceptives

February 18, 2013 6:33 pm by | 0 Comments

Even though they're more effective at preventing pregnancy than most other forms of contraception, long-acting birth-control methods such as intrauterine devices and hormonal implants have been a tough sell for ... Read more

Observation units can improve care but may be costly for patients

Observation units can improve care but may be costly for patients

February 12, 2013 5:54 am by | 0 Comments

There's a growing recognition by clinicians that some patients who arrive at the emergency department can benefit if they’re kept under observation for up to a day so that staff ... Read more

Long waits for consumers when Medicare is ‘secondary payer’

Long waits for consumers when Medicare is ‘secondary payer’

January 28, 2013 9:35 pm by | 0 Comments

Anyone who sues for personal injury probably knows that the process may take time. But for Medicare beneficiaries, too often it's not only the legal system that grinds slowly. Lawyers ... Read more