“The presumption is safety net providers are providers of last resort when you are desperate, but that is not what their patients perceive . . . They seem to like these places and do not feel the need to go elsewhere.”
After three years, no real progress has been made on rising costs. The program remains well over budget, with no end in sight.
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
By Julie Appleby July 10, 2009 Q. What is an exchange? A. Basically, it’s a marketplace where people can shop for health insurance. An exchange could be simply a detailed listing of all the insurance plans available in an area or a more regulated marketplace, where the exchange selects the insurers allowed to sell policies [...]
By Julie Appleby – Kaiser Health News July 10, 2009 When Michael Kovner decided to buy health insurance earlier this year, he logged onto his computer, entered his age and zip code on a special Web site and studied the nearly 20 different policies that popped up. Within a half-hour, Kovner, a 53-year-old technology consultant, picked [...]
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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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