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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: medical costs

medical costs stories: 10 news summaries

Senate Dems Say Obama Plans Don't Fix Spending

Say legislation isn't aggressive enough on fee-for-service model

Nov 10, 09 1:05 PM CST
(Newser) - Some Democrats in the Senate are worried that reform legislation under consideration doesn't do enough to rein in out-of-control health care spending. President Obama has promised $2 trillion in savings over the next 10 years, but critics say the proposed changes aren't nearly aggressive enough on the current pay-per-visit system... More »

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Congress • Senate • medical costs • legislation • Rahm Emanuel • health care reform • Obama administration • doctors • health insurance industry

In Sickness and for Health Insurance

Health benefit concerns force couples into marriage and divorce

Aug 13, 08 9:08 AM CDT
(Newser) - Health insurance worries are pushing a growing number of Americans both into and out of marriages, the New York Times reports. Couples in which one party has better health benefits are marrying hastily as medical needs outweigh any doubts about each other. One survey this year found health insurance was... More »

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health care • divorce • health insurance • marriage • medical costs • health insurance premiums

 More Say 'I Do' for Health Plans 

About 7% marry to get coverage as costs soar

Apr 29, 08 10:12 AM CDT
(Newser) - Health-insurance worries have gotten so serious they're pushing some Americans up the aisle, the Los Angeles Times reports. In a new survey, 7% of people said they or somebody in their household had married in the last year to get health benefits. The survey also found that health-care worries trumped... More »

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health care • health insurance • marriage • medical costs • health insurance premiums

 1 in 50 US Infants Mistreated 

Study finds parents 'not being able to really care' for newborns

Apr 3, 08 6:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - About 1 in 50 US children under age 1 is a victim of nonfatal neglect or abuse—particularly among the uninsured, a survey finds. One-third of the 91,000 victims were a week or younger when the maltreatment occurred. "It's not primarily kids being hit, but parents … not... More »

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parenting • health insurance • drug addiction • medical costs • child abuse • abuse • infant • child neglect • new parents • newborn • uninsured • medical care

 India: Solution to 
 US Health Crisis 

Uninsured find cheap, top-flight care there; your HMO could be next

Mar 28, 08 2:32 PM CDT
(Newser) - India is a top destination for uninsured Americans needing major surgery, the Chicago Tribune reports, with prices up to 85% lower than US rates. Last year, India welcomed 150,000 medical tourists, the Chicago Tribune reports—and now, HMOs want a piece of those savings. “Employers may soon follow... More »

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health insurance • insurance companies • India • outsourcing • medical costs • medical tourism

Back Pain's Insidious Cost Rises

US spends ever more on treatment—without much to show for it

Feb 14, 08 1:19 PM CST
(Newser) - Back pain is one of the US' most persistent health problems, but despite new treatment possibilities, Newsweek reports, cures remain elusive. Americans spent $85.9 billion in 2005 on medical costs relating to back pain, up from $52.1 billion in 1997. "We seem to be doing more and... More »

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surgery • medical costs • physical therapy • exercise • back pain • excercise • imaging tests • pain relief • prescription painkillers

'Antiquated' VA Ill Equipped to Care for Vets

Bush pledges massive overhaul, which requires major funding

Oct 22, 07 2:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Some 700,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are eligible for VA benefits, and overhauling the overburdened system is firmly in the sights of  President Bush and a bipartisan commission. Citing "fundamental system weaknesses," a GAO report last week outlined a huge bureaucracy rife with staffing and training shortfalls,... More »

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Iraq • Afghanistan • medical costs • Department of Veterans Affairs • Bob Dole • GAO • Donna Shalala • Iraq veterans • George W. Bush

Drug Recall Hurts Poor HIV Patients

In many countries, no life-saving meds

Jul 23, 07 5:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - In the wake of a drug recall by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche, tens of thousands of AIDS patients in the developing world no longer have access to lifesaving medicine. Last month, Roche announced a recall of the drug Viracept, after finding a hazardous chemical in some batches. But in... More »

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medicine • health • pharmaceutical companies • HIV • medical costs • drug recall

House Dems Call for Expanded Health Care Bill

Calls for both children's coverage and shoring up Medicare

Jul 23, 07 9:29 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Senate reached a rare bipartisan agreement to beef up insurance coverage for low-income kids, and now House Democrats are proposing a health care plan with an even wider scope. Their plan yokes the children's coverage to big changes in Medicare, and is sure to heat up the confrontation between... More »

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health care • health care costs • health insurance • insurance companies • child care • medical costs

Doctors Post Prices for Procedures

In a competitive Southern California market, a medical price war

May 28, 07 8:23 PM CDT
(Newser) - A group of doctors in California has become the largest private practice in the country to go public with its prices for medical procedures. Breaking with the notion that price-shopping demeans professional services, HealthCare Partners posted the price of 58 common procedures, from x-rays to flu shots, on its website... More »

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health care • California • medical costs • doctor • private practice • HealthCare Partners

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