Hospital mergers across US have raised health care prices. Now, another is pending in Maine: Bangor Daily News

Jeanne Pinder December 28, 2019

Hospital mergers across US have raised health care prices. Now, another is pending in Maine: Bangor Daily News

“Size matters when it comes to health care. Just ask the leaders of Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft, who have been forging ahead with a deal that they say is critical for the long-term survival of their 25-bed facility,” Charles Eichacker writes in the Bangor Daily News. “They are close to becoming the 10th hospital […]

Eli Lilly promised to lower Insulin prices, but its cheaper drug is hard to find: The Washington Post

Jeanne Pinder

Eli Lilly promised to lower Insulin prices, but its cheaper drug is hard to find: The Washington Post

“Each year brings a fresh episode of popular and political outrage over high drug prices,” Christopher Rowland writes for The Washington Post. “In 2019, it was insulin’s turn in the spotlight. The lifesaving drug for diabetics surged in list price more than 250 percent over a recent 10-year span — despite being a century-old invention. The […]

View Post Eli Lilly Elizabeth Warren Humalog insulin Lispro

The debate over America’s drug-pricing system is built on myths: STAT

Jeanne Pinder December 25, 2019

The debate over America’s drug-pricing system is built on myths: STAT

“America’s drug-pricing system is broken,” writes Matthew Herper on Stat. “Any system in which the list price of insulin triples in a decade, leading patients to ration it and sometimes die, is not working. Cancer patients should not worry that their disease will bankrupt them. The U.S. insurance system, which has instead gone decades without […]

View Post Congressional Budget Office drug companies Drug prices Elizabeth Warren insulin

Not everyone has eye-popping deductibles, or how one union kept medical bills in check: Los Angeles Times

Jeanne Pinder December 19, 2019

Not everyone has eye-popping deductibles, or how one union kept medical bills in check: Los Angeles Times

“Even as soaring insurance deductibles wreak financial havoc on millions of American families, some workers have managed to dodge the affordability crisis,” Noam N. Levey writes in The Los Angeles Times. “In Boston, a labor union representing the city’s hotel workers offers its members health coverage with no deductible and family premiums just a tenth […]

View Post Boston health insurance costs health insurance plan unions Unite Here

How much does an MRI cost, $450 or $4,685?

Jeanne Pinder December 17, 2019

How much does an MRI cost, $450 or $4,685?

He shared the price of an MRI of the joint/lower extremity without dye, CPT code 73721, at Trident Medical Center, North Charleston, S.C. The insurer was Aetna.. CHARGED: $4,685.0 INSURANCE PAID: $2,435.35 YOU PAID: $1,046.65 His comment “Never I repeat NEVER go to Trident Regional Medical Center in North Charleston, SC. My wife had the […]

View Post MRI

Private health insurance costs are skyrocketing: Axios

Jeanne Pinder

Private health insurance costs are skyrocketing: Axios

“The cost of private health insurance is out of control, compared to Medicare and Medicaid,” Drew Altman of the Kaiser Family Foundation writes on Axios. “You see that clearly if you take a long-term view of recently released federal data on health spending. This is why the health care industry — not just insurers, but […]

View Post Axios Drew Altman Medicaid Medicare The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

Each family member is on a different insurance plan: $21,948/yr. vs. $34,860/yr.

Jeanne Pinder December 15, 2019

Each family member is on a different insurance plan: $21,948/yr. vs. $34,860/yr.

It’s insurance open enrollment season. This may not be in time to help you, but here it is anyhow. A friend writes: I’m not sure how typical our family’s experience is with regard to managing healthcare costs in today’s environment, but I hope this may be helpful. Also, as a note, this is not meant […]

View Post CHIP insurance family plan hip replacement individual plan

How much does Vascepa cost? $9 or $90?

Jeanne Pinder December 13, 2019

A friend writes: “How much does Vascepa (1 GM) cost? “CVS – $90 for a 90 day supply (with Oscar’s Rx plan), or $9 with a coupon. I only knew about the coupon because the pharmacy assistant told me! “I went to Vascepa Savings Program to get it. The coupon is renewable. In fact, CVS […]

View Post CVS icosapent ethyl omega-3 fatty acids pharmacy discounts Vascepa

Health Spending Grew Modestly, New Analysis Finds: The New York Times

Jeanne Pinder December 7, 2019

Health Spending Grew Modestly, New Analysis Finds: The New York Times

“The burdensome costs of medical care, prescription drugs and health insurance have become dominant issues in the 2020 presidential campaign,” Abby Goodnough and Margot Sanger-Katz write in The New York Times. “But a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services shows the nation remains in a period of relatively slow growth in health […]

View Post Affordable Care Act Altarum health care costs Kaiser Family Foundation

Experts Warn of Rising Health Costs in Missouri Despite Lower ACA Premiums: St. Louis Public Radio

Jeanne Pinder December 4, 2019

Experts Warn of Rising Health Costs in Missouri Despite Lower ACA Premiums: St. Louis Public Radio

“Missourians shopping for health insurance on the federal government’s online marketplace are likely to see slightly lower premium prices, but health economists warn residents could still pay more for their health care next year, Sara Fentem reports, on St. Louis Public Radio. Deductibles, the prices customers pay out-of-pocket before insurance starts to cover bills, are […]

View Post Center for Health Economics and Policy high-deductible plans Missouri Missouri Foundation for Health Washington University

Category: Patients