Most insurance plans allow you to visit an out-of-network doctor or hospital, but it is very likely to cost you more — possibly a lot more.
Vermont moves to implement new law that is seen as a “road map” to a single-payer health care system.
Two years after the passage of the federal health law, more than 40 percent of people say they know little or nothing about how it will affect them. Now a new book in adult comic-strip for seeks to explain the ins and outs of the new legislation.
The recession had a lot to do with the trend: With fewer people insured, and private insurers generally picking up less of the cost, patients went to the doctor and hospital less.
“I practiced for 30 years without knowing how long patients waited to see me,” says Dr. Robert Mecklenburg of Seattle’s Virginia Mason. After meeting with employers, “you realize how important it is to see patients when they need to be seen,” Mecklenburg says,. “Any wait is not OK.”
Americans continue to struggle to pay their medical bills, and even the 2010 health care overhaul may not ease their financial burden.
In several counties, more than 1 in 5 residents has no health coverage, according to a new report from Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler. “If anyone doubts the need for health care reform,” said Kreidler,”there are a million people out there that they should talk to.”
Besides their convenience, urgent care centers attract patients because their fees at least half those charged at a hospital ERs. Those lower fees have drawn the attention of hospitals and insurers — both of which increasingly see the facilities as a way to hold down costs and boost their bottom lines.
By agreeing to hear challenges to President Obama’s 2010 health care law, the Supreme Court has set the stage for a decision — probably in late June and in the midst of the presidential campaign — that could be among its most important in decades.
While HSAs give consumers control over their medical spending, they are problematic for low-income individuals, especially those with chronic conditions who use the health care system frequently.
$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.
Support for health care reform has hit an all-time low with 51 percent of those polled saying they dislike the law and only 34 percent saying they favor it.
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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