Hot Topics: Health Policy & Insurance

Blog Posts (7)

April 22, 2013

Mouthing Off: Oral Health for Seniors is a Matter of Social Justice

Nanette R. Elster, JD MPH

When we think about primary care, we think about health promotion, disease prevention, treatment of acute illness and management of chronic disease, as well as an initial point of contact into the health care system for many.…

March 27, 2013

The requirement of health: how companies could discriminate

Gioia Zucchero, M.A.

Recently, the drugstore CVS Caremark implemented a health policy that if an employee would like to be covered through the company’s medical plan, he or she is required to submit information about how much they weigh, their body fat percentage and glucose levels…or else face a monetary penalty each month.…

March 7, 2013

The Boss Is Watching You

Craig Klugman, Ph.D.

Do you smoke? Do you exercise? Do you have a yearly physical with your physician? Your answers to these questions could have an affect on the cost and coverage of your health insurance.…

March 5, 2013

The Diabetes Challenge

Jennifer Chevinsky, B.S.

A recent study found a strong association between the number of test strips covered by insurance and better medical care in type 1 diabetics.…

January 9, 2013

Why It Is So Difficult to Kill the Death Panel Myth

In August of 2009, Sarah Palin claimed that the health legislation being crafted by Democrats at the time would create a “death panel,” in which government bureaucrats would decide whether disabled and elderly patients are “worthy of healthcare.
January 8, 2013

How Little Did We Accomplish with First Round of Fiscal Cliff Negotiations?

Here is a quick summary from the Wall Street Journal of what the U.S. Federal Debt looks like now that we have avoided, at least for now, the fiscal cliff.  As you will see, we didn’t do much to balance the budget.  In the short run, that is ok.  ...
January 2, 2013

Obamacare Update: Which States are Going to Expand Medicaid?

Part of Obamacare involved expanding Medicaid, the health insurance program for low income folks in the U.S. The law required states to offer Medicaid to people living at 125% of the federal poverty limit or lower.  States that refused to do this woul...

News (42)

May 22, 2013 5:12 pm

American Workers' Health Care Costs Increase Again

A family of four covered through a typical employer health plan will pay out $9,144 this year in premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. That’s up about 6.5 percent over 2012.

May 17, 2013 2:16 pm

Will insurance cover genetic testing, preventive surgery?

Women who discover they carry a hereditary gene mutation that dramatically increases their risk of breast and ovarian cancers face big decisions and the possibility of tens of thousands of dollars in medical costs.

May 9, 2013 2:35 pm

Hospital Billing Varies Wildly, Government Data Shows

Data being released for the first time shows that hospitals charge Medicare wildly differing amounts — sometimes 10 to 20 times what Medicare typically reimburses — for the same procedure.

May 7, 2013 2:00 pm

Why Expand Care With No Proven Benefits?

A monumental new study finds that “Medicaid coverage generated no significant improvements in measured physical health outcomes” for poor adults.

May 7, 2013 1:58 pm

Almost Any Cost Is Catastrophic if You’re Poor

This is just one small study. Evidence shows that Medicaid has been beneficial nationwide and this study shows a range of benefits.

May 3, 2013 1:53 pm

Latinos Not Prepared for Looming Changes in the U.S. Health Care System

Media and Latino Decisions in conjunction with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Health Policy Center, today released key findings of a national Latino poll indicating that less than a quarter of Latinos feel well informed about the ACA.

April 23, 2013 1:09 pm

Hundreds Of Immigrants Are Being Deported From Their Hospital Beds

Within the past five years, more than 600 undocumented immigrants have been sent back to their native country while seeking care in American hospitals, according to a report from the Center for Social Justice.

April 10, 2013 12:58 pm

Health budget raises spending for reform, mental health

President Barack Obama’s proposed 2014 budget includes an increase of $3.9 billion to support the administration’s healthcare overhaul, and cuts programs such as immunizations and cancer screenings that would in the future be financed through individual state insurance exchanges.

March 27, 2013 2:58 pm

Companies Get Strict on Health of Workers

Employers are increasingly trying to lower health care costs by using incentives to persuade workers to make better lifestyle choices, a new survey shows, but what remains less clear is whether a reward is better than a punishment — or whether the programs work at all.

March 26, 2013 6:00 pm

Study: Health overhaul to raise claims cost 32 pct

Insurance companies will have to pay out an average of 32 percent more for medical claims on individual health policies under President Barack Obama’s overhaul, the nation’s leading group of financial risk analysts has estimated.

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