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Big premium hike? Blame it on the kids

Dede Kennedy-Simington, an insurance agent in Pasadena, Calif., was "totally dismayed" when she learned recently that the premium on her family's Blue Shield PPO would rise $391 a month next year — driven largely by huge increases for her two teenage children.

3 Nov 2017

Study reveals link between parental unemployment and child neglect

The number of reported cases of child neglect in the United States of America increased as a result of the spike in unemployment following the financial crisis of 2007-08, according to new Oxford University research.

3 Nov 2017

House Republicans aim to yank tax credits for orphan drugs

As part of a sweeping tax reform bill, House Republicans on Thursday proposed eliminating billions of dollars in corporate tax credits that have played a key role in the booming "orphan drug" industry.

2 Nov 2017

House tax bill would scrap deduction for medical expenses

The tax bill unveiled by Republicans in the House on Thursday would not, as had been rumored, eliminate the tax penalty for failure to have health insurance. But it would eliminate a decades-old deduction for people with very high medical costs.

2 Nov 2017

What the Health? How confused are we?

Open enrollment started with more of a whimper than a bang Nov. 1, as the Trump administration continued to talk down the health law it is required to operate.

2 Nov 2017

Funding for ACA sign-up campaigns varies widely from state to state

If you buy insurance on your own and have been paying attention to the Affordable Care Act, you’ve probably heard that open enrollment for 2018 plans has just started and the government is spending a lot less money this year to get the word out.

1 Nov 2017

Rising health insurance costs frighten some early retirees

Don and Debra Clark of Springfield, Mo., are glad they have health insurance. Don is 56 and Debra is 58. The Clarks say they know the risk of an unexpected illness or medical event is rising as they age and they must have coverage.

1 Nov 2017

Historically ignored racial groups experience high rates of major health problems

Some of the smallest and historically neglected racial groups in the United States experience far more obesity, diabetes, and other health conditions than non-Hispanic white adults, a study by researchers at the University of California, Riverside has found.

1 Nov 2017

Past-due premiums, missing tax forms may hamstring marketplace customers

The 2018 annual open-enrollment period for coverage on the health insurance marketplaces starts Wednesday. But if you don’t take care of lingering issues from your past coverage, they may come back to haunt you when you try to sign up this fall.

31 Oct 2017

Postcard from Canada: In the land of single-payer, Bernie Sanders gets hero’s welcome

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wasn't scheduled to come onstage to talk health care until after 11 a.m. But college students started lining up as early as 5 a.m. — the Sunday morning of Halloween weekend, no less — in the hopes of scoring what appeared to be the weekend's hot ticket.

31 Oct 2017

UT social work professor examines how Medicaid expansion affects health care access

UT social work professor Sunha Choi recently published an article in Population Health Management on the effects of Medicaid expansion on low-income individuals' access to health care.

30 Oct 2017

Study: Less than half of patients receive insurer's approval for prescription of cholesterol drugs

Less than half of patients received their insurer's approval for prescriptions of PCSK9 inhibitors, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

30 Oct 2017

Rural areas — already short on health resources — face enrollment hitches

Ms. Stella's, a home-cooking restaurant in Milledgeville, Ga., serves roast beef, grilled pork chops, chicken wings and oxtails with 24 sides from which to choose. Last spring, owners Jeri and Lucious Trawick opened a second restaurant in Eatonton, about 20 miles away, and Jeri decided to leave her full-time job to help shepherd the expansion.

27 Oct 2017

Seeking a peaceful death amid the flames

Even when fire threatened her home in downtown Sonoma, the elderly woman inside who was suffering from late-stage cancer refused to leave.

27 Oct 2017

Beyond the shattered lives and bodies, money worries weigh on Las Vegas victims

Kurt Fowler and his wife, Trina, were celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary at a country music festival when the shooting started. Fowler, 41, knew he'd been hit in the ankle and couldn't run. He hid under the stage until the gunfire ended.

27 Oct 2017

Majority of women at higher risk for breast cancer decline MRI screenings, study finds

Some women, because of genetic predisposition, personal, or family history, have a higher than average lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. For those women, earlier magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is recommended for cancer screening.

26 Oct 2017

Study: Medicare patients in low-income U.S. counties may be at risk of incurring high out-of-pocket costs

When Medicare beneficiaries are admitted to the hospital, their care is normally covered by Part A benefits with a fixed deductible. However, when the hospital stay is "for observation," Part B benefits take over, bringing with them cost-sharing and potentially large out-of-pocket expenses.

25 Oct 2017

Study finds significant drop in proportion of undiagnosed diabetes cases

A study that compared total U.S. diabetes diagnoses over a 26-year period found that while the prevalence nearly doubled, from 5.5 to 10.8 percent, the proportion of missed cases of diabetes dropped significantly during the same period, from 16.3 to 10.9 percent.

24 Oct 2017

Enrollment news to bank on: Obamacare is still here so it’s time for coverage checkup

The open enrollment period begins in one week for 2018 marketplace coverage, but many consumers are confused about what to expect. No wonder!

24 Oct 2017

Blood levels of thyroid hormone may help identify individuals at risk for irregular heartbeat

Individuals with higher levels of thyroid hormone (free thyroxine, FT4) circulating in the blood were more likely than individuals with lower levels to develop irregular heartbeat, or atrial fibrillation, even when the levels were within normal range, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

23 Oct 2017

Health Insurance News and Research

Big premium hike? Blame it on the kids

Study reveals link between parental unemployment and child neglect

House Republicans aim to yank tax credits for orphan drugs

House tax bill would scrap deduction for medical expenses

What the Health? How confused are we?

Funding for ACA sign-up campaigns varies widely from state to state

Rising health insurance costs frighten some early retirees

Historically ignored racial groups experience high rates of major health problems

Past-due premiums, missing tax forms may hamstring marketplace customers

Postcard from Canada: In the land of single-payer, Bernie Sanders gets hero’s welcome

UT social work professor examines how Medicaid expansion affects health care access

Study: Less than half of patients receive insurer's approval for prescription of cholesterol drugs

Rural areas — already short on health resources — face enrollment hitches

Seeking a peaceful death amid the flames

Beyond the shattered lives and bodies, money worries weigh on Las Vegas victims

Majority of women at higher risk for breast cancer decline MRI screenings, study finds

Study: Medicare patients in low-income U.S. counties may be at risk of incurring high out-of-pocket costs

Study finds significant drop in proportion of undiagnosed diabetes cases

Enrollment news to bank on: Obamacare is still here so it’s time for coverage checkup

Blood levels of thyroid hormone may help identify individuals at risk for irregular heartbeat

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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