THURSDAY, Nov. 11, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Health insurance has gotten slightly more expensive during the pandemic: A new survey shows that annual family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose 4%, to an average of $22,221 this year. Of that amount, employees paid an average of nearly $6,000 toward theContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A measure designed to lower prescription drug costs for seniors has been added to President Joe Biden’s social safety net and climate change bill that Democratic leaders hope to bring to a House vote this week. For the first time, the measure wouldContinue Reading
TUESDAY, Nov. 2, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Nearly one-third of older U.S. adults visit at least five different doctors each year — reflecting the growing role of specialists in Americans’ health care, a new study finds. Over the past 20 years, Americans on Medicare have been increasingly seeing specialists, researchersContinue Reading
MONDAY, Nov. 1, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The joys of motherhood may be overshadowed in the United States since as many as 50% of new or expectant moms can’t pay their bills, including health care bills, new research suggests. “Financial hardship is highly prevalent among pregnant and postpartum women,” saidContinue Reading
TUESDAY, Oct. 26, 2021 (HealthDay News) — American cancer patients spent more than $21 billion on their care in 2019, a new report shows. That $21.09 billion included out-of-pocket costs of $16.22 billion and patient time costs of $4.87 billion. Patient time costs are the value of the time patientsContinue Reading
MONDAY, Oct. 18, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 could now face thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket medical costs, according to a new report. In 2020, most health insurance companies waived co-pays, deductibles and other cost-sharing for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, but many stopped doing that early this year,Continue Reading
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 13, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Private insurers paid out about $156.2 billion in 2018 for U.S. patients with the 15 most common cancers. Medication was the largest expense and drugs for breast, lung, lymphoma and colon cancers accounted for the largest chunk of those costs, according to aContinue Reading
TUESDAY, Oct. 12, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Just over a decade ago, the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare) made many common cancer screenings free. But a pair of new studies caution that when those free tests turn up signs of trouble, important follow-up tests may beContinue Reading
TUESDAY, Oct. 12, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Equal access to the most effective drugs helps eliminate the survival disparity between Black and white lung cancer patients in the United States, a new study shows. In general, Black lung cancer patients are more likely to die than white patients, but theseContinue Reading
MONDAY, Oct. 4, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Black kids and Hispanic kids with cancer fare worse than their white counterparts, a large, nationwide study finds. “This study suggests that improving health insurance coverage and access to care for children, especially those with low [socioeconomic status], may reduce racial/ethnic survival disparities,”Continue Reading
FRIDAY, Oct. 1, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken up the U.S. opioid crisis in ways bad and good, increasing the risk of use and overdose but also spurring innovative approaches to treatment. The pandemic has definitely been linked to an increase in opioid use and overdoseContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) — As many as 18 million Americans can’t afford their prescribed medications, a new nationwide poll finds. That’s 7% of the adult population in the United States. But when it comes to households making less than $24,000 per year, the percentage jumps to 19%,Continue Reading
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Having a child in the hospital is distressing for families, and not knowing what that stay might cost can add to that stress, researchers say. A new study has found that three-quarters of U.S. families want to have conversations about the costs ofContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Sept. 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) — When the COVID-19 public health emergency ends, a new crisis in insurance coverage in the United States may begin. Fifteen million Americans who enrolled in Medicaid during the pandemic could lose their coverage when the emergency declaration ends, according to an analysis byContinue Reading