http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (HealthDay)—The proportion of families in the United States that can't keep up with their medical bills declined between 2011 and 2012, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the news might not necessarily be cause for celebration. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-families-struggling-medical-bills-cdc.html Health Tue, 04 Jun 2013 13:40:01 EST news289565683 Combining Medicare's hospital, physician, and prescription drug coverage with commonly purchased private supplemental coverage into one health plan could produce national savings of $180 billion over a decade while improving care for beneficiaries, according to a new study by researchers at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and The Commonwealth Fund published today in the May edition of Health Affairs. Under the proposed plan, called "Medicare Essential," Medicare beneficiaries could save a total of $63 billion between 2014 and 2023, with total premium and out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries estimated to be 17 percent to 40 percent lower than current costs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-medicare-essential-billion-years.html Health Mon, 06 May 2013 16:00:10 EST news287073877 The rising cost of Medicare can be cut through strategies such as increasing premiums and raising the eligibility age, but those moves could drive many elderly Americans from the program, leaving them with limited access to health services, according to a new study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-curbing-medicare-seniors.html Health Mon, 06 May 2013 16:00:02 EST news287059493 (AP)—House Republicans are coming to the aid of high-risk patients trying to get insurance under the new health care law. But they do so by diverting money from a prevention program that is key to the law, ensuring stiff opposition from Democrats and a veto threat from the White House. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-house-bill-shifts-funds-health.html Health Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:31:19 EST news285996674 A record number of U.S. children were covered by health insurance in 2011, mostly due to substantial increases in the enrollment rates of public insurance, according to new research from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-children-health.html Health Tue, 05 Feb 2013 12:11:49 EST news279288703 (HealthDay)—The Obama administration is giving states additional time to set up so-called health insurance exchanges, a key element of the 2010 health reform law designed to bring coverage to an estimated 30 million Americans who don't have insurance. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-states-health-exchanges.html Health Tue, 15 Jan 2013 13:40:01 EST news277477898 (HealthDay) -- Although most Americans say their teeth are in relatively good shape, a newly published survey reveals that many are not getting routine dental checkups, with cost cited as the most common obstacle. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-americans-good-dental.html Dentistry Wed, 18 Jul 2012 18:20:02 EST news261850105 Elderly beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare plans are more satisfied with their health insurance, have better access to care, and are less likely to have problems paying medical bills than people who get insurance through employers or those who purchase coverage on their own, according to a new Commonwealth Fund study published today in Health Affairs. The study also found that beneficiaries enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans are less satisfied with their insurance than those with a traditional Medicare plan, and more likely to experience access problems. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-elderly-medicare-beneficiaries-health.html Health Wed, 18 Jul 2012 16:09:00 EST news261846529 A total of 46.3 million people in the United States do not have health coverage, a trend that has been rising in the past 15 years, said a US survey published Tuesday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-million-americans-lack-health.html Health Tue, 19 Jun 2012 04:12:42 EST news259297954 Consumers nationwide would have received an estimated $2 billion in rebates from health insurers if the new medical loss ratio (MLR) rules enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act had been in effect in 2010, according to a new study from The Commonwealth Fund. The MLR rules, which went into effect in 2011, aim to control private insurance costs for consumers and government by requiring a minimum percentage of premium dollars to be spent on medical care and health care quality improvement, as opposed to administrative costs and corporate profits. Insurers must meet a minimum MLR of 80 percent in the individual and small-group markets, and 85 percent in the large group market, and issue rebates if they do not. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-billion-consumer-rebates.html Health Thu, 05 Apr 2012 04:12:36 EST news252817934 African Americans receive poorer dental care than white Americans, even when they have some dental insurance coverage. To better understand why this is so, researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and the College of Dental Medicine, surveyed African American adults with recent oral health symptoms, including toothaches and gum disease. Their findings provide insights into why disparities persist even among those with dental insurance and suggest strategies to removing barriers to dental care. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-disparities-dental-persist-african-americans-coverage.html Health Thu, 16 Jun 2011 17:00:21 EST news227462380