Health Care Costs

(Newser) - Some Americans are ducking genetic tests for fear that bosses and insurers may single out those with disorders, the New York Times reports. Others, tested privately, hide problems from doctors to dodge financial pain—leading, in some cases, to health problems that could have been avoided. But insurance reps and employers are calling the fears overblown. More »

(Newser) - A California health insurance company owes a breast cancer patient $9 million in damages after it canceled her policy in the middle of chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer, the LA Times reports. The arbitration judge called Health Net’s actions “despicable." The hefty ruling, the largest of its kind, sends a warning to other insurers who try to cut costs by weeding out sick clients, analysts say. More »

(Newser) - As more Americans buy individual health insurance, states are acting to make sure insurers don’t cancel the plans without fair cause, USA Today reports. Plans can be canceled if applicants misreport their medical history, whether accidentally or on purpose. But amid complaints that companies are cutting the plans unjustly, legislators across the country are working to impose stricter laws to protect consumers. More »

(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," one physician said. "But there's no evidence that people are getting more pain relief." More »

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have health plans that sound similar but are vastly different in effect, the New York Times ' Paul Krugman writes. Obama wants to make coverage affordable in the hope that Americans will sign up—a change that seems unlikely considering current coverage patterns. But Hillary's plan would mandate care, cover 22 million more Americans, and make health care nearly universal. More »

(Newser) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's ambitious plans for a near-universal health care insurance system in California have been terminated after a year-long effort to win the support of lawmakers. The proposal was overwhelmingly rejected by California's Senate Health Committee, with only 1 of 11 senators voting in favor of the plan, reports the Los Angeles Times . Senators blasted the proposal, which was passed last month by the state Assembly, as "fairy tale" reform. More »

(Newser) - A partisan split over health care will likely stall all attempts at reform, at least until a new president takes office next year, the AP reports. Bush's health secretary, Mike Leavitt, opposes Dem ideas about negotiating drug prices and boosting dollars for children's care. “I’m not expecting too much cooperation or bipartisanship,” said Texas GOP Rep. Joe Barton. More »

(Newser) - With emergency room visits and hospital overcrowding on the rise, waiting times have grown dangerously long—36% longer than they were in 1997. A new study in medical journal Health Affairs cites especially troubling waits for heart attack victims, with 25% waiting at least 50 minutes to see a doctor in 2004. The average heart attack patient waited 8 minutes in 1997 and 20 minutes in 2004. More »

(Newser) - With health insurance heating up campaign trails, NPR takes a look at how the candidates are covered, and finds not all of them forthcoming. Sitting senators are eligible for a federal plan, which is good but no panacea—packed with co-pays and deductibles. John Edwards reports he and his family are covered through his campaign. But Romney, Huckabee, and Thompson declined to share details about their own coverage, or those of their staffs. More »