Visits to primary care providers drop sharply as costs rise: NPR

Jeanne Pinder February 4, 2020

Visits to primary care providers drop sharply as costs rise: NPR

“Efforts across the U.S. in recent years to encourage medical students, nurse practitioners and others to go into primary care, especially in underserved areas, are built on a consensus in research: Primary care is good for patients,” Etelena Renken writes for NPR. “‘It’s the foundation of the health care system,’ says Dr. Ishani Ganguli, Harvard […]

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The public health legacy of slavery: The Baltimore Sun

Jeanne Pinder December 28, 2019

The public health legacy of slavery: The Baltimore Sun

“It has been 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived in the British colonies, yet the bodies of many Americans today are still marked by the effects of that horrible institution,” Lisa A. Cooper and Jeremy Greene write in The Baltimore Sun. “Across the nation, African American adults have death rates from heart disease […]

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

Jeanne Pinder

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 […]

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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 […]

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Urgent care tales: After his fishing accident, his first call was to his insurer

Jeanne Pinder December 27, 2019

Urgent care tales: After his fishing accident, his first call was to his insurer

A friend writes, in our continuing series of “a friend writes” blog posts: “Unfortunately, this is not a fish story. “Two summers ago, while fishing on a lake in upstate New York (I’m from Westchester) I had a bit of a mishap. I cast my lure into a bed of water lilies, and gave the […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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