Healthcare Shopper News
For the informed consumer of health care
November 2007 Monthly Archive
Hospital Bill Padding Bankrupting the Uninsured?
Hospitals routinely pad their bills. For that matter, so do other health care providers. If you have health insurance and you've been hospitalized or had an outpatient procedure recently, you've probably been astounded at the difference between what the health care provider charged versus what the insurance company or Medicare paid them. Hospitals and providers claim that bill padding is their defense against the aggressive fee cutting efforts of insurers and government programs. But the end result is that the... read more
Posted by Phil Daigle on November 30, 2007 2:45 PM
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Wal-Mart Improves Health Benefits for Employees
Wal-Mart continues to improve health insurance coverage for employees. The company has enrolled an additional 100,000 workers in health plans. For the last few years, Wal-Mart has been heavily criticized for not offering affordable health insurance to employees. While they still provide health insurance to less than half of their employees, they have been improving rapidly. During 2008, Wal-Mart is offering employees a selection of health plans as well as 2,400 generic medications for $4. Enrolled employees can call a... read more
Posted by Phil Daigle on November 15, 2007 2:26 PM
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Ineffective Medical Tests Add 30% to the Cost of Health Care in the US
Using comparative effectiveness research, we could reduce health care costs in the US by 30%. There is a significant opportunity to remove costs from the system without harming health outcomes by eliminating medical treatments and tests that are of questionable value. Using comparative effectiveness research is the key. The aging population is not to blame for the rise in health care costs. Congress and health care policymakers need to promote cost effectiveness and evidence-based medicine.... read more
Posted by Phil Daigle on November 15, 2007 2:20 PM
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Dementia Screenings Pay Off in Early Detection and Treatment
The early stages of dementia are usually not recognized early enough. An early diagnosis could lead to positive intervention and early treatment. Experts at the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) are recommending have more widespread use of memory screenings. Memory screenings are cheap and effective Physicians need to use them more. It is estimated, that physicians miss at least half of the cases of mild and moderate dementia, only recognizing it when the brain disorder is at least moderately advanced.... read more
Posted by Phil Daigle on November 6, 2007 4:01 PM
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True But Misleading Statements about American Health Care
American health care is often compared unfavorably to health care in Canada, France, Great Britain, and others, based on shorter life expectancy and higher infant motrality rates in the US. Critics also point to 47 million uninsured Americans and the relatively high cost of health care in the US. Professor N. Gregory Mankiw, an economist at Harvard University, currently an adviser to Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, spoke out recently about "true but misleading statements about US health care that politicians... read more
Posted by Phil Daigle on November 6, 2007 3:24 PM
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Ford & UAW Reach Deal on Retiree Health
United Auto Workers- UAW - reached a tentative agreement with Ford Motor Company for a four-year contract similar to General Motors and Chrysler. Central to the deal is the creation of a voluntary employees' beneficiary association - VEBA. Ford will transfer billions of dollars in retiree health care liabilities to a trust controlled by the UAW. The VEBA is expected to become operational in 2010. Until then, Ford will continue to fund its retiree health care. The UAW will also... read more
Posted by Phil Daigle on November 6, 2007 3:01 PM
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