Results for search "Health Costs".
06 Apr
A survey of more than 700 women finds money concerns often stop women from getting follow-up tests after an abnormal mammogram.
FRIDAY, Sept. 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Despite reports of trouble last week where some people may have been denied insurance coverage while seeking COVID shots at pharmacies, the Biden administration said Thursday those issues have been ironed out.
That issue is "largely, if not completely," resolved after U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Secretary
New parents bringing home their bundle of joy often carry something else with them as they leave the hospital: medical debt.
That's according to new research from Michigan Medicine that found postpartum women are more likely to have medical debt than those who are pregnant.
The researchers studied this by evaluating collections among a statewide, commercially insured cohort of more ...
Americans seeking out the new COVID boosters are finding themselves held back by insurance entanglements and supply delays.
Some insurers have balked at covering the vaccines, with people arriving at shot appointments only to be told that they’ll have to pay $100 or more out of pocket for the jab.
And in other places, booster appointments simply aren’t available due to supply s...
Helping undocumented immigrants in the United States connect with primary care doctors could be a money-saver, substantially reducing emergency department use and lowering health costs, a new study finds.
The findings are from a New York City program that helped arrange medical appointments from May 2016 to June 2017 for undocumented immigrants with limited incomes.
The data showed ...
As people age, health issues tend to mount, but roughly a quarter of low-income adults over 65 have no medical insurance.
That’s the age when most Americans become eligible for Medicare, the federal health insurance for seniors. But many of the uninsured seniors are Hispanic Americans who aren't eligible for that coverage, or lower income people who may not be able to afford Medicare pr...
Red tape is getting in the way of cancer patients receiving the treatment they crucially require, a new study has found.
Patients were 18% more likely to experience cancer care delays or be unable to stick to a treatment plan if they had to fill out a lot of paperwork, compared to patients who faced less red tape, the researchers found.
Results also showed that the more paperwork a ...
The Biden administration on Tuesday named the first 10 medicines that will be subject to price negotiations between Medicare and participating drug companies.
The list represents the first step in a landmark program aimed at reducing the government’s drug spending, and potentially U.S. drug prices in general. However, six major drug companies are already challenging the program in court...
Large numbers of Americans who were dropped from Medicaid this spring lost their coverage because of paperwork problems, and not because they weren't still eligible for the public health insurance program.
“I am deeply concerned about high rates of procedural terminations due to ‘red tape' and other paperwork issues,” Health and Human Services Secretary
When they need health care, Americans can be slapped with surprise medical costs because of loopholes in the law and “junk fees,” according to the White House.
The Biden administration is taking action on several fronts to deal with these unexpected costs.
“Evading the law and playing games to charge crazy, outrageous prices has to end,” President Joe Biden said in remarks o...
New federal initiatives could help save Americans money on health care costs.
President Joe Biden announced plans Friday to target surprise medical bills, scam insurance and third-party credit cards and loans that carry high interest charges, the Associated Press reported.
Limiting “junk” insurance plans is a key initiative. These are short-term policies that people som...
A new study shows that older Americans with health issues are now staying with their Medicare Advantage managed plans, rather than swapping them for traditional plans through a health insurer.
Although Medicare Advantage has been criticized in the past for “cherry-picking” healthy patients, that's no longer the case, according to the research.
"This is not what a lot of people w...
Cancer affects families in numerous ways, and kids whose parents have had cancer are more likely to be hungry and to go without everyday essentials than their peers, a new American Cancer Society study reveals.
“Cancer is a life-threatening disease, and parents with a history of cancer are often saddled with worry about paying for food, the rent or mortgage, and other monthly bills,” ...
Folks living in Massachusetts, Hawaii and New Hampshire may be among the nation's healthiest, according to a new scorecard that ranks how well the health care system in each U.S. state is working.
By contrast, people in Mississippi, West Virginia and Oklahoma fare the worst when it comes to access to quality care and overall health and well-being.
Released each year by the Commonwea...
A majority of insured Americans have struggled with a wide array of stumbling blocks when trying to get coverage for their health care needs, a new national survey shows.
All told, the KFF report uncovered numerous obstacles to coverage with all types...
How prohibitive is the cost of diabetes care?
For American patients, including those with insurance, the full scope of related expenses is often so onerous that some have turned to crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe as a way to raise cash for care, new research shows.
Despite the fact that insulin is largely free or low-cost for many, the price of many other basics of diabet...
Folks who are loaded down with medical debt are less likely to survive a bout of cancer, a new study reports.
Researchers found that U.S. counties where more residents have medical debt in collections also had more cancer deaths, compared to counties with less medical debt.
“This association was seen for all cancers combined, and the five major cancer types: lung, colorectal, panc...
Money woes have long been linked to worse health care. Now, a new study finds financially strapped patients often put off cancer screenings -- only to learn they have the disease when it's advanced and tougher to treat.
Researchers studied the financial background of nearly 102,000 patients diagnosed with cancer between 2014 and 2015. More than a third had previously experienced at l...
An exceptionally pricey gene therapy cure for sickle cell disease could soon be available, but it's not clear whether insurance companies will balk at the cost and deny coverage.
On the surface, the gene therapy does not appear as cost-effective as the grinding medical care that sickle cell patients now receive, according to a new analysis.
Gene therapy applied just once to a sickle...
Many seniors skip or stretch prescription medications due to costs despite being insured by Medicare, a new U.S. study finds.
Roughly 20% of older adults reported taking less medication than prescribed or not taking medication because of cost, the researchers found.
"We also found that most respondents wanted to talk with their doctors about medication costs and would want their d...
New IRS guidance will allow older couples in the United States to contribute more than $10,000 to tax-free health savings accounts (HSA) next year.
Under the new guidelines announced this week, for folks under 55, individuals can contribute up to $4,150 annually to their HSAs, NBC News reported Friday. That's a 7.8% increase.
Families can contribute a maximum of $8,300 ann...
Pollutants produced by the U.S. oil and gas industry cause thousands of deaths and cost the country tens of billions in health care expenses, a new study reports.
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), fine particulate matter and ozone all contribute to air pollution, and all are emitted as part of oil and gas production, the researchers said.
The new study estimates that the oil and gas industry ...
While COVID-19's toll on health and wellness has been obvious, the virus has also hit people in the wallet.
A new study links surviving COVID to financial challenges later, especially for folks who were hospitalized with the virus.
“More than half of Americ...
Menopause symptoms are costly business, with billions spent on treating hot flashes, night sweats and lost sleep, a new study finds.
The research, published Wednesday in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, found that women living with these symptoms nee...
The company that makes the opioid overdose nasal spray Narcan plans to have it available in pharmacies and online by late summer for a price of less than $50.
Emergent sent a response letter Thursday to Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who had sent a
Getting care in the United States for lingering COVID-19 symptoms can be challenging, affecting long-term health and ability to work, a new study finds.
Adults with so-called long COVID have had greater challenges with health care access and affordability than other adults, and these barriers to care have implications for their well-being, said lead researcher
Financial stress and work lost to cancer treatment affects patients and their partners alike.
Partners also experienced pain, fatigue and sleep issues owing to these fiscal worries, a new study found.
“We know that financial toxicity or hardship is a signifi...
The so-called "Medicaid cliff" is a perennial threat for millions of American seniors whose incomes put them just above the poverty line.
While impoverished seniors often have Medicaid to help cover their health care expenses, seniors who make just a little bit more have to pay the higher out-of-pocket costs of Medicare themselves.
The upshot: They're much less likely to go to the ...
Medicaid reimbursement for mental health services varies widely across the United States, making it hard for many folks who need help to get it, a new study finds.
Researchers found as much as a fivefold difference among states in Medicaid reimbursement rates.
Even though Medicaid, the go...
A new study shows that money, or lack of it, can stand in the way of follow-up testing after an abnormal mammogram result.
Just over one-fifth of U.S. women surveyed by researchers said they would skip additional testing if they had to pay a deductible or co-pay.
Of 714 women who responded when asked if they'd have follow-up imaging if they had to pay for all or part of it, 21% said...
Breast cancer screening may be free for women with health insurance, but high costs may still keep some from getting needed follow-up tests, a new study finds.
The study, of more than 230,000 U.S. women who underwent screening mammography, found that those in insurance plans with higher out-of-pocket costs were less likely to get follow-up testing after an abnormal screening result.
When a child is hospitalized, cost may not be the greatest worry but the out-of-pocket expense can be substantial in the United States, even for those with insurance.
A Michigan Medicine study found that U.S. families covered by private insurance s...
Sanofi Inc. on Thursday became the third company to announce it will slash prices on its insulin products.
The French company announced that it will cut prices by 78% and cap out-of-pocket charges for its insulin, brand named Lantus, at $35 per month. The company will also lower prices on its short-acting insulin, Apidra, by 70%.
“Sanofi believes that no one should struggle to pay...
Novo Nordisk Inc. on Tuesday became the third drug company to say it will slash prices on some of its insulin products.
Starting in January 2024, there will be a 75% price cut for NovoLog and NovoLog Mix 70/30, while Novolin and Levemir will see cuts of 65%, the Danish pharmaceutical giant announced in a
When Americans have medical debt, it's typically to a hospital, according to new research.
The Urban Institute found that more than 15% of non-elderly adults in the United States have past-due medical debt. Nearly 73% owe some or all of that money to hospitals.
“These
More Americans will soon be paying less for their insulin.
Eli Lilly, one of the three insulin manufacturers, plans to cut its list prices of the drug by 70% and cap out-of-pocket costs at $35 a month.
"While the current health care system provides access to insulin for most people with diabetes, it still does not provide affordable insulin for everyone, and that needs to change," E...
Shopping for cataract surgery, a heart valve replacement or a colonoscopy?
You're better able these days to compare what one hospital charges against the prices at another, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
A majority of hospitals are now complying with U.S. federal rules that require them to post the prices of their procedures, Medi...
American adults who have no health insurance or those who are underinsured will still be able to get free COVID vaccines from Moderna, even after government-purchased supplies run out, the company announced Monday.
"Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines will continue to be available at no cost for insured people whether they receive them at their doctors' offices or local pharmacies. For uninsured ...
Americans have less medical debt now than they did a couple years ago, possibly because of policies and programs that gave more people access to health insurance and relief funds.
About 8.2 million people had medical debt on their credit reports in 2022, according to the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
That's down about 18% from 2020, the Associated Press...
Email has become an easy and essential form of communication between patients and physicians -- so much so that doctors are deluged daily with messages from patients.
Now, some hospitals and health systems have started charging for doctors' responses to those messages, depending on the amount of work needed to respond. Only a handful of health systems have started billing for these, and t...
Americans received unprecedented access to health care during the pandemic, including hassle-free public insurance and free tests, treatments and vaccines for COVID-19.
Now, they need to prepare for most of that to unwind, experts say.
“Essentially, Congress and the administration moved to a model of universal health coverage for COVID vaccines, treatments and tests” during the ...
New research suggests that pregnant women and new moms in rural U.S. areas are at greater risk of adverse outcomes, including death, because they are more likely to be uninsured.
Women living in rural communities had lower rates of uninterrupted health insurance before, during and after pregnancy compared to those in urban areas, a University of Michigan study found.
“Being uninsu...
Out-of-pocket costs can leave Medicare patients with the most common type of liver cancer in financial distress.
While Medicare payments in the first year after diagnosis with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) exceeded $65,000, out-of-pocket costs were more than $10,000,
Mila Clarke started taking Ozempic in 2020 to help manage her diabetes, but was pleasantly surprised to find herself soon shedding pounds.
“I was like, this is really weird because I'm not having to try very hard to do this,” said Clarke, who has been diagnosed with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and chronicles her diabetes journey on her
The United States spends up to four times more on health care than most wealthy nations, but it doesn't have much to show for it.
Life expectancy in America continues to decline even though this country spends nearly 18% of its gross domestic product on health care, according to a new
The U.S. government could save billions every year once Medicare begins negotiating drug prices in 2026, new research suggests.
The Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress last year allows Medicare to bargain with drug companies on the prices of 10 of the highest-priced drugs in 2026 before ...
Television ads for drugs are filled with glowing images of people living their best lives, all thanks to that new med they've been prescribed.
But drugs being touted on TV often have little to no benefit compared to other treatments, a new study published online Jan. 13 in JAMA...
The number of Americans who had trouble paying their medical bills dropped precipitously between 2019 and 2021, and funds from the American Rescue Plan and other federal pandemic relief programs may have been a reason why.
Overall, 10.8% of Americans responding to a federal survey in 2021 said they had had problems covering medical bills that year, down from 14% in 2019, according to rese...
Most working-age Americans get health insurance through their employer, but even they are finding it tougher to afford medical care these days, a new study shows.
Researchers found that over the past 20 years, a growing number of Americans with job-based health insurance have been skipping medical care due to costs. Women have been particularly hard-hit.
The antiviral Paxlovid has kept people from getting really sick and dying from COVID-19 since it became available -- at no cost to them.
But by the middle of next year, the U.S. government will stop subsidizing the medication. Instead, it will be billed for like many other medications.
While the Biden administration has paid about $530 for each course of the medication by buying 2...