Some clinicians say universal screening is an important tool to help identify children who are genetically predisposed to high cholesterol and to pinpoint others who could benefit from treatment. Others express concerns that screening may do more harm than good.
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.
Although federal law guarantees patients the right to examine and get copies of their medical records, providers haven’t always made it easy to do so. But the movement to give patients direct access to their health information has picked up steam, and policymakers have encouraged it as a way to empower patients to help manage their health and their medical care.
Some companies are also penalizing employees who don’t give up cigarettes by hitting them with higher health insurance premiums.
$6.8 Billion spent yearly on 12 unnecessary tests and treatments – according to a new study. The most common ordered unnecessary test: a complete blood count for a routine physical.
As they shoulder more health care expenses, workers in some plans can reduce their costs by participating in company wellness programs.
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.
When researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center examined bankruptcy rates in Washington state and compared them with a registry of 232,000 cancer patients, they found that five years after diagnosis cancer patients were four times more likely to declare bankruptcy than the general population.
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,
These pediatricians say they are worried about other patients in the waiting room, some of them too young to be immunized or with health problems that compromise their immune systems.
The same pattern that has emerged in health insurance — employers’ shifting more costs onto workers’ shoulders — is occurring in disability coverage.
If you’re injured after drinking, can your insurer refuse to pay? Do privacy rules keep insurers from talking to you about your spouse’s coverage? Does colonoscopy coverage include polyp removal? Yes, no and maybe.
LocalHealthGuide is a health news and information web service for Seattle and the Puget Sound Region. We are independent and unaffiliated with any hospital, medical association or insurer. If you have questions or if your group has an upcoming event that you would like us to cover, please let us know by going to our "Contact Us" page and dropping us a note. -- Michael McCarthy, Editor
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Seattle Times Health News
Experts divided over recommendation to screen children for cholesterol
Some clinicians say universal screening is an important tool to help identify children who are genetically predisposed to high cholesterol and to pinpoint others who could benefit from treatment. Others express concerns that screening may do more harm than good.
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.
Peeking in on your doctor’s notes
Although federal law guarantees patients the right to examine and get copies of their medical records, providers haven’t always made it easy to do so. But the movement to give patients direct access to their health information has picked up steam, and policymakers have encouraged it as a way to empower patients to help manage their health and their medical care.
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