Insurance jargon can make it hard to for patients to understand their coverage, and insurers are often slow to provide clear, reliable explanations .
Over the past decade, the cost of health insurance for families in Washington state rose more than five times faster than the median income.
Employers are passing on more of the cost of health insurance to their workers through higher deductibles and co-payments.
Most doctors — 63 percent — say they favor giving patients a choice that would include both public and private insurance.
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., will unveil his health care overall bill by midweek. Says plan will cost $880 billion over the next 10 years.
Obama: Without reform half of Americans under 65 face will go without insurance at some point over the next ten years.
President did not put forth serious proposals to reduce the growth rate in health expenditures in his speech last night, argues health economist Alain Enthoven.
Nurses are left out of the health reform debate, but It is nurses who provide most of the skilled care in hospitals–the only care in many poor communities, writes Sandy Summers, director of The Truth About Nursing and co-author of Saving LIves: Why the Media’s Portrayal of Nurses Puts Us All at Risk.
Because of its health reform law, almost all Massachusetts residents have health coverage. Now the state has to tackle the more difficult challenge: cost. Article by KaiserHealthNews staff writer Jessica Marcy
Sen. Max Baucus and Sen. Chuck Grassley have long history of cooperation.
But can this marriage be saved? Don’t bet on it, writes KaiserHealthNews staff writer Eric Pianin, at least when it comes to health reform.
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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Lost in translation: Lack of trained interpreters can lead to medical errors
Interpreter services at hospitals and other medical settings are often inadequate, forcing family members, including children, to step in, or the task falls to medical staff members who may not speak the language well.
Some insurers deny ER coverage to people who have been drinking
Laws in more than half the states permit insurers to deny payment for medical services related to alcohol or drug use. Faced with the prospect of not getting paid for care, some ER personnel sidestep the problem by simply not testing patients’ blood or urine for alcohol.
Travel insurance can protect your wallet — and your health on vacation
Think your regular health insurance policy will cover you if you get into medical trouble overseas?
Don’t bet on it.
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