Health Care Costs

Would The Senate Health Care Bill Have Helped Obama's Mom?

True/Slant | Allison Kilkenny | Posted 12.17.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Bill, Obama's Mother, Health Care Costs, Senate Health Care Bill, Health Care Coverage, Health Care Reform, Obama, Health Care, Politics News

Back in the day, Candidate Obama told a touching story about his mother's struggle to pay her medical bills while battling cancer. Obama's mother, Ann...

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A 10-Point Plan to Drive Down Health Care Costs & Expand Coverage

Bradford Kane | Posted 12.15.2009 | Politics

Read More: Congress, Health Care Costs, Obama Administration, Compromise, Health Insurance, Bipartisan, Health Care Reform, Healthcare Reform, Politics News
Bradford Kane

Whether or not they realize it, families, individuals, and businesses need competition and a system that affordably serves everyone, in order to stabilize the scope and cost of coverage.

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A Health Care Wishlist for 2010

James R. Knickman | Posted 12.14.2009 | New York

Read More: Health Care Reform, Public Health Insurance Plan, Diabetes, 2010, Health Care Costs, Health Care, Veterans, New York News
James R. Knickman

2010 holds great promise for improving our health care system. However, with mounting deficits at both the state and federal levels, nothing is guaranteed.

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The Price of Prescription Drugs Around the World

D. Brad Wright | Posted 12.04.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Health Care Costs, Health Care, Health, Prescription Drugs, Politics News
D. Brad Wright

We've come to the end of the health care costs world tour and conclude today with a look at the price of three prescription drugs: Plavix, Nexium, and...

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The Price of Lab Tests Around the World

D. Brad Wright | Posted 12.03.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Health Care Costs, Health Care, Health, Politics News
D. Brad Wright

Sure, the high end U.S. prices still blow everyone out of the water for Pap smears, and beat all but Australia for the throat culture, but take a look at the low-end U.S. average for both tests. The U.S. prices actually look reasonable.

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The Problem Isn't the Recommendation, It's How We React to It.

Aaron E. Carroll | Posted 12.01.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Comparative Effectiveness Research, Mammograms, Uspstf, Health Care Costs, Cost-Effectiveness, Mammogram Guidelines, Politics News
Aaron E. Carroll

Mammograms weren't outlawed. They weren't taken away. No one's insurance stopped covering them. It's just a recommendation.

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The Price of Hospital Stays Around the World

D. Brad Wright | Posted 11.23.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Health Care Costs, Health Care, Health, Politics News
D. Brad Wright

Technology costs more in the United States. Physicians cost more in the United States. What about the charges of health care facilities? Today, we examine the cost of hospitalization to find more of the same.

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Health Care Rationing: Why the "R" Word is a Red Herring

N. E. Marsden | Posted 11.21.2009 | Politics

Read More: Obama Health Care, Health Care Rationing, Private Health Insurance, Health Care Protection, Death Squads, Health Care Reform, Health Care Public Option, Health Care Costs, Health Care, Politics News
N. E. Marsden

it is ludicrous to imply that private insurance companies don't ration care by flat-out refusing procedures that people genuinely need or desperately want.

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Ryan Grim

Senate Dems Close In On Reform: Details Of Health Care Bill Revealed

HuffingtonPost.com | Ryan Grim | Posted 11.19.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Bill, Abortion, White House, Ben Nelson, Cbo, Landrieu, Cloture, Public Option, Health Care Costs, Senate Health Care Bill, President Obama, Obama, Senate Health Care Reform Bill, Mary Landrieu, House, Cbo Score, Deficit, Senate, Blanche Lincoln, Uninsured, Senate Public Option, Lincoln, Nelson, Details, Health Care Reform, Stupak Amendment, Harry Reid, How Many Would Be Covered, Senate Health Care, Text of Bill, Senate Health Bill Online, Senate Health Bill Text, Politics News

Read the bill (PDF). Senate Democrats have posted the legislation on their web site. --------- Senate Democrats made a big step toward comprehensive...

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The Price of Diagnostic Imaging Around the World

D. Brad Wright | Posted 11.18.2009 | Technology

Read More: Health Care Reform, Health Care Costs, Health Care, Technology News
D. Brad Wright

Diagnostic imaging represents one of the greatest leaps forward in medical innovation. And as it happens, its costs depend purely on where one plugs in the machine.

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Health Care Prices Around the World

D. Brad Wright | Posted 11.16.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Health Care Costs, Health Care, Health, Politics News
D. Brad Wright

Starting today and running into the beginning of next week, I'm going to be making some pretty charts that demonstrate just how the U.S. stacks up against its counterparts among rich, industrialized nations.

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Drug Companies Raising Prices Ahead Of Reform

nytimes.com | DUFF WILSON | Posted 11.16.2009 | Business

Read More: Big Pharma, Pharmaceutical Industry, Merck, Health Care Costs, Prescription Drug Costs, Drug Companies, Prescription Drugs, Health Care Reform, Drug Prices, Healthcare, Consumer Price Index, Business News

Even as drug makers promise to support Washington's health care overhaul by shaving $8 billion a year off the nation's drug costs after the legislatio...

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An Open Letter to Harry Reid on Controlling Health Care Costs

Robert Reich | Posted 11.13.2009 | Politics

Read More: Robert Reich, Health Care Costs, Health, Health Care Reform, Harry Reid, Health Care, Politics News
Robert Reich

Nobody promised you this would be easy, Harry. But, hell, why are you there, anyway? Your responsibility is to do the right thing by the American people and bring down future health-care costs.

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How To Save Billions in Health Costs Starting Now

Dr. Jon LaPook | Posted 11.12.2009 | Living

Read More: Angioplasty, Elliott S. Fisher, Gerry O'Connor, Health Care Costs, Katie Couric, Health Care, CBS News, Vertebroplasty, Health Care Reform, Cbs, Dartmouth, Barack Obama, Living News
Dr. Jon LaPook

President Obama has stressed the importance of "bending the cost curve." The fastest way to do this is shockingly simple: carefully explain to patients the known risks and benefits of procedures.

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New Bill Would Extend COBRA Subsidy: Representative Joe Sestak

bloomberg.com | Margaret Collins | Posted 11.12.2009 | Business

Read More: Cobra, Congress, Unemployment, Health Care Costs, Economy, Jobs, Health Care, Cobra-Legislation, Recession, Joe Sestak, Business News

Nov. 10 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Congress should extend a health-care subsidy that helps the unemployed before it ends for some recipients this month, ...

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Point 3: We Need an Orbitz for Health

George Halvorson | Posted 11.11.2009 | Living

Read More: Health Care Coverage, Health Care Exchanges, Health Care Costs, Universal Health Care, Health Insurance, Healthcare Reform, Kaiser Permanente, Halvorson, Obama Health Care, Health Care, Living News
George Halvorson

Consumers and patients in America need to be able to make health care choices in a data-rich environment with clear information about care outcomes, caregiver performance, effectiveness and price.

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Tort Reform Does Not Reduce Health Care Costs--Never Has, Never Will

Miles J. Zaremski | Posted 11.13.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Tort Reform, Health Care Costs, Defensive Medicine, Public Option, Health Care, Politics News
Miles J. Zaremski

Anyone opposed to robust health care reform because it fails to include tort reform needs to examine their premise. We should be more concerned with patient safety.

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Dems on Health Bill: Oops! We Forgot to Cut Costs

New York Times | SHERYL GAY STOLBERG | Posted 11.10.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Bill, Health Care Price Tag, Health Care Bill Cost, Health Care Vote, Health Care Cost, Health Care Price, Health Care, Healthcare Bill, Healthcare, Health Care Costs, Politics News

As health care legislation moves toward a crucial airing in the Senate, the White House is facing a growing revolt from some Democrats and analysts wh...

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Scott Hawkins: $29,000 For 5 Minutes In The ER

McClatchy | Bobby Caina Calvan | Sacramento Bee | Posted 11.09.2009 | Politics

Read More: Medical Care, Scott Hawkins, Emmergency Room, California State University, Health Care Costs, Healthcare, Politics News

SACRAMENTO -- For five desperate minutes, emergency room doctors at UC Davis Medical Center frantically tried to revive Scott Hawkins....

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A Little Perspective on the Cost of Health Care Reform

Aaron E. Carroll | Posted 11.03.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Defense Spending, Social Security, Medicare, Federal Budget Deficit, Health Care Costs, Bush Tax Cuts, Politics News
Aaron E. Carroll

People are saying that health care reform is going to break the bank. No. Health care costs are what might bankrupt us. I am all in favor of reducing those, but railing against the cost of reform while ignoring all the rest is willful ignorance.

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The Public Option in Congress Is Now a Sham. Who Cares If Lieberman Kills It?

Miles Mogulescu | Posted 10.30.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Bill, Reid Public Option, Public Option, Health Care Costs, Health, Senate Health Care Bill, Health Care Reform, Health Insurance, Health Care, Obama Health Care, Health Care Public Option, House Health Care Bill, Obama Public Option, Obama Health Care Reform, Jacob Hacker, Medicare, Democrats, Politics News
Miles Mogulescu

With or without a fraudulent public option, millions of Americans who will be required to buy insurance or pay a fine will see their premiums skyrocket.

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Tearing Down the Barriers to Competition

Rep. Diana DeGette | Posted 10.29.2009 | Denver

Read More: Anti-Trust, Competition, John Conyers, Public Option, Health Care Costs, Cost-Effectiveness, President Obama, Diana-Degette, Diana DeGette, Health Care, Denver News
Rep. Diana DeGette

Potentially egregious anti-trust violations in the insurance industry should not be permitted, and the government should be given the power to protect the public from harmful behavior that drives up prices.

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Ambulances Charging Extra For Obese Patients

AP | HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH | Posted 10.23.2009 | Business

Read More: Fat, Obesity, Mordibly Obese, Health Care, Health Care Costs, Amublances, Ken Keller, Business News

TOPEKA, Kan. — The memory still bothers Ken Keller: A panicked ambulance crew had a critically ill patient, but the man weighed more than 1,000 ...

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The Public Option Is Not Where You Draw the Line

Aaron E. Carroll | Posted 10.20.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Subsidies, Cbo, Single Payer, Public Option, Health Care Costs, Politics News
Aaron E. Carroll

Many are rallying around the public option like it's a singular opportunity to save the world. It's not; it's not even close.

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Wilford Brimley Is the Problem With Health Care

D. Brad Wright | Posted 10.19.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Diabetes, Health Care Costs, Health Care, Wilford Brimley, Health, Politics News
D. Brad Wright

The ad encapsulates everything that's wrong the health care system: consumers are insulated from the costs of their care, providers are motivated to make a profit, and Wilford Brimley looks like a walrus.

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