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Topic: cost of care

Sequester cuts hurt non-profits that pay part of employees’ healthcare bills

Sequester cuts hurt non-profits that pay part of employees’ healthcare bills

June 8, 2013 7:39 am by | 0 Comments

Due to the federal budget impasse, certain small non-profits nationwide will see an 8.7 percent cut in a federal tax credit they have received since 2010 for providing health care ... Read more
Online tool cut inappropriate tests from 22 percent to 6 percent

Online tool cut inappropriate tests from 22 percent to 6 percent

May 23, 2013 4:28 pm by | 0 Comments

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A web-based decision-making tool that alerts heart doctors when diagnostic tests would not be useful for a specific patient can curb wasteful procedures, according to ... Read more
When payers will pay more: Calculating — and justifying — the ROI of expensive treatments

When payers will pay more: Calculating — and justifying — the ROI of expensive treatments

May 22, 2013 11:53 am by | 0 Comments

Calculating the return on investment of expensive drugs and surgeries can mean good news for patients. A recent conversation among decision makers at big insurance companies also showed that payers ... Read more
How will people with no bank accounts buy insurance on the exchanges?

How will people with no bank accounts buy insurance on the exchanges?

May 20, 2013 4:32 pm by | 0 Comments

When movie stars become unbankable, they’re no longer a slam dunk at the box office. When investments become unbankable, they’re relegated to the junk pile. For ordinary Americans deemed unbankable, ... Read more
Critics: Community screenings at hospitals making overtreatment problem worse

Critics: Community screenings at hospitals making overtreatment problem worse

May 13, 2013 7:04 pm by | 1 Comments

Hospitals hoping to attract patients and build their brands are teaming up with medical-screening companies to promote tests aimed at consumers worried about potentially deadly heart disease or strokes. What ... Read more
Maxwell Health offers complete insurance experience from broker to concierge to coach

Maxwell Health offers complete insurance experience from broker to concierge to coach

May 8, 2013 7:34 am by | 0 Comments

At Maxwell Health, innovation in healthcare means 360 degrees of service wrapped up in a beautiful user experience. The new company is helping employers and employees make health insurance decisions ... Read more
Study: Health concerns and cost of care top list of retirement worries

Study: Health concerns and cost of care top list of retirement worries

May 6, 2013 9:03 am by | 0 Comments

(Reuters) - Health problems and the cost of healthcare are the biggest concerns for those entering retirement, according to a study released on Monday from Bank of America Corp's Merrill ... Read more
Maine’s biggest hospital and payer prepare to launch an ACO

Maine’s biggest hospital and payer prepare to launch an ACO

May 4, 2013 3:50 pm by | 0 Comments

PORTLAND, Maine -- MaineHealth, parent organization of Portland's Maine Medical Center, has partnered with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine to launch an accountable care organization. ... Read more
Medical-industrial complex wants Medicaid expansion to delay price transparency

Medical-industrial complex wants Medicaid expansion to delay price transparency

May 4, 2013 8:46 am by | 0 Comments

The strongest advocate for expanding Medicaid’and the likely source of funding for the massive advertising campaign’is the hospital lobby.We hear that hospitals are going broke. They can’t make ends meet. ... Read more
Another example of how state laws make healthcare even more complicated

Another example of how state laws make healthcare even more complicated

May 3, 2013 3:19 pm by | 1 Comments

As I was writing about WellnessFX and their free blood test, I dug into LabCorp’s site. I wondered if there were laws about releasing lab results directly to patients.Obviously I ... Read more
Lawsuit aims to overturn Medicare rules for “observation” care

Lawsuit aims to overturn Medicare rules for “observation” care

May 3, 2013 5:52 am by | 1 Comments

Hospitals don't have to tell patients they are under "observation" care and Medicare will not cover the costs of that care if the patient is not admitted. Patients who are ... Read more
IRS: Wellness plans don’t count toward minimum coverage requirements

IRS: Wellness plans don’t count toward minimum coverage requirements

May 1, 2013 7:25 pm by | 0 Comments

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Employer-sponsored healthcare plans cannot include most "wellness programs" as part of minimum coverage requirements, dealing a setback to many businesses, according to new federal rules for U.S. ... Read more
Oncologists get serious about drug prices

Oncologists get serious about drug prices

April 29, 2013 7:28 am by | 0 Comments

A new article in the journal Blood shows that even doctors who have never worried about the price of drugs are starting to consider cost and effectiveness before prescribing. ... Read more
Ten-year study says austerity is increasing rates of suicide and limiting access to care

Ten-year study says austerity is increasing rates of suicide and limiting access to care

April 28, 2013 7:01 pm by | 0 Comments

LONDON (Reuters) - Austerity is having a devastating effect on health in Europe and North America, driving suicide, depression and infectious diseases and reducing access to medicines and care, researchers ... Read more
Negotiating healthcare bills: 20% off vs. “somebody will pay for it”

Negotiating healthcare bills: 20% off vs. “somebody will pay for it”

April 25, 2013 12:06 pm by | 1 Comments

Didn’t know you have to negotiate your hospital bills? Maybe you are a healthy person who rarely gets medical bills or deals with them when they do come. Two of ... Read more