Posts Tagged ‘Health Insurance’
A Pro-Single Payer Doctor’s Concerns About Obamacare
By Adam Gaffney for Salon – As a single-payer advocate who is also a doctor, I was concerned after the Affordable Care Act was passed that it didn’t do enough to combat rising underinsurance. A recent study by the Commonwealth Fund, which used new data to demonstrate that in 2012 some 31.7 million Americans were…
Read MoreVote for the Worst Health Insurance Company of 2013
Now’s your chance to vote for the worst health insurance company of 2013! The nominees are… UnitedHealth for paying its CEO, Stephen Hemsley, $49 million last year. Moda Health for paying $40 million for naming rights to the Portland Trailblazers arena. Anthem Blue Cross for predatory premium increases even while announcing $2.7 billion in net…
Read MoreLower Health Insurance Premiums to Come at Cost of Fewer Choices
From the New York Times – Federal officials often say that health insurance will cost consumers less than expected under President Obama’s health care law. But they rarely mention one big reason: many insurers are significantly limiting the choices of doctors and hospitals available to consumers. From California to Illinois to New Hampshire, and in…
Read MoreHealthcare For A Family Now Costs More Than Groceries To Feed Them For A Year
By Tara Culp-Ressler for ThinkProgress – As medical costs continue to rise, the annual health expenses for a family of four now exceed the typical of cost of their groceries during the same time period, according to a new report from consulting firm Milliman, Inc. The firm estimates that a typical family of four with…
Read MoreAbout Half of Adults Lacked Adequate Health Coverage in 2012
By Ann Carrns for the New York Times – About half of United States adults ages 19 to 64 didn’t have health insurance for at least part of last year or were underinsured, a new report from the Commonwealth Fund says. The fund, a private nonprofit organization that finances research into health care and health…
Read MoreWhy Are People with Health Insurance Going Bankrupt?
From the Real News Network – Dr. Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese: Obamacare will not put an end to medical bankruptcies – 80% of people going bankrupt due to healthcare costs had insurance. More at The Real News
Read MoreRate of employer-based health insurance keeps dropping
From USA Today – The availability of employer-sponsored insurance has fallen by about 10% over the past decade, which has spurred an increase in the overall number of Americans without health insurance, according to a report released today. “This documents that in virtually every state across the country, there has been a steady decline in…
Read MoreResearch ties economic inequality to gap in life expectancy
By Michael A. Fletcher for the Washington Post – ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — This prosperous community is the picture of the good and ever longer life — just what policymakers have in mind when they say that raising the eligibility age for Social Security and Medicare is a fair way to rein in the…
Read MoreHow the Insurer Knows You Just Stocked Up on Ice Cream and Beer
By Jen Wieczner for the Wall Street Journal – Your company already knows whether you have been taking your meds, getting your teeth cleaned and going for regular medical checkups. Now some employers or their insurance companies are tracking what staffers eat, where they shop and how much weight they are putting on—and taking action…
Read MoreHealth Insurers Raise Some Rates by Double Digits
By Reed Abelson for the New York Times – Health insurance companies across the country are seeking and winning double-digit increases in premiums for some customers, even though one of the biggest objectives of the Obama administration’s health care law was to stem the rapid rise in insurance costs for consumers. Particularly vulnerable to the…
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