A week of sick time may be enough if you get hit with the flu or a cold. But what happens when you have a chronic condition, such as Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis or diabetes, and the time off you need exceeds your number of sick days? What protections do you have if you require major surgery?
Higher prices charged by hospitals, outpatient centers and other providers drove up health care spending at double the rate of inflation during the economic downturn– even as patients consumed less medical care overall
Washington state will receive a $128 million grant from the federal government to develop and implement the state’s Health Benefit Exchange. The Exchange will create a new marketplace for individuals and small businesses to shop for and purchase private health insurance coverage
Rebranding? — The health reform law requires the establishment of insurance exchanges, where consumers will be able to shop for insurance plans that fit basic criteria. But federal officials think it might be clearer for consumers if they called the exchanges “marketplaces” instead.
Many plans have placed specialty drugs in a tier where, instead of a flat co-payment — $20, $50 or some other amount — patients must pay a percentage of the medications’ cost. For people who need specialty drugs, that can amount to tens of thousands of dollars annually.
Tens of millions of adults under 65 — both those with insurance and those without — saw their access to health care dramatically worsen over the past decade, a new study finds. The findings suggest more privately insured Americans are delaying treatment due to rising out-of-pocket costs, while safety net programs for the poor and uninsured are failing to keep up with demand for care.
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.
When a health insurer buys a business that helps hospitals win billing battles with insurers, alarm bells should sound, experts say.
High-deductible health care plans are no longer a novelty—they are becoming mainstream. How do they work? Are they a good deal? Here is a brief guide to this type of health insurance:
The biggest dollar amounts are expected to go to consumers in Alaska, where per person rebates are expected to average $305, Maryland, $294, Pennsylvania, $243 and Idaho, $241.
Think your regular health insurance policy will cover you if you get into medical trouble overseas?
Don’t bet on it.
A growing number of insurers are classifying physical therapy as specialty care, so patients generally pay a higher copayment, often the same amount as for a visit to a specialist, such as a surgeon, neurologist or cardiologist. Physical therapists say that’s unfair and are pushing legislation to limit the amount insurers can require patients to pay for physical, occupational or speech therapy.
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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