As they shoulder more health care expenses, workers in some plans can reduce their costs by participating in company wellness programs.
The key finding is that the majority of Democrats, Republicans and independents all supported state action to control health care costs.
Open enrollment is a confusing time for many consumers. Here are some tips to help you choose the employer-sponsored health plan that’s right for your family.
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,
Vermont is building a “Canadian-style” single-payer health system that replace traditional insurance plans and pay providers a set fee to care for patients.
Employers’ spending on health coverage for workers spiked this year, with the average cost of a family plan rising by 9 percent, triple the growth seen in 2010.
Nearly 1 million young adults have gained health coverage this year since the passage of the health law, which lets them stay on their parents’ plan until age 26.
One of the key consumer benefits of the federal stimulus package – subsidies to help laid-off workers continue their health care coverage – draws to a close Wednesday, raising concerns about how the unemployed will cover those expenses.
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.
Employers struggling to keep down insurance costs are increasingly requiring workers to pay a percentage of high-cost drugs rather than a modest co-pay.
Shopping for health insurance next year will be a lot easier when hundreds of insurers begin to use the same simple forms, consumer advocates say.
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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