Tight Budgets Pinch Health Care Spending

(NEWSER) - The global economic crisis is raising the threat to national security, the Washington Post reports. Experts and intelligence officials worry that mounting inflation and unemployment in Third World countries could spark radical movements and destabilize friendly governments. What’s more, strained budgets in the West mean less money to spend on the military and technology to counter the new threat. More»

71% miss projections, worst showing since September of 2000

(NEWSER) - With the holiday season looming, retailers' only hope may be a genuine Christmas miracle. In reports on last month's business, 71% of retailers missed sales and profits estimates, making it the worst September since data collection began in 2000, MarketWatch reports. Experts widely attributed the dismal numbers to the struggling economy and a dearth of credit, while some stores blamed disastrous weather for low traffic. Only value and off-label stores beat expectations. More»

Why Our Insurance Systems Doesn't Work

(NEWSER) - Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point and Blink, examines the premise underlying U.S. health insurance known by the Dickensian term: Moral Hazard. The theory of Moral Hazard describes the notion that insurance can change peoples’ behavior. Without deductibles, co-payments and other barriers to use, people will use too much health care. More»

Coverage up among 19- to 25-year-olds, now eligible for parents' insurance

(NEWSER) - Roughly 2.5 million people between the ages of 19 and 25 have gained health insurance since President Obama signed his health care reform bill, more than double the 1 million the White House had been expecting, according to a new administration analysis. The bump is almost entirely due to a provision in a law that allows young people to remain on their parents' coverage until age 26. More»

Cites concerns over rising costs

(NEWSER) - America’s largest employer is scaling back its health benefits, jacking up premiums for full-time workers by as much as 40% and eliminating coverage altogether for many part-timers, Walmart told employees this week. The company blamed rising costs for the move, telling the New York Times that it has nothing to do with the new health care reform law. “The decisions made were not easy,” a spokesman said, “but they strike a balance between managing costs and providing quality care.” From now on, employees who work less than 24 hours a week on average won’t be eligible for coverage. New hires who work between 24 and 33 hours will qualify, but won’t be allowed to add a spouse to the plan (kids, however, can be added). More»