News tagged with health insurance

Can you put a price on health?

As health services strive to improve quality and reduce costs, researchers study the benefits – and the pitfalls – of 'pay for performance' in hospitals.

Health created 20 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Many patients would switch doc to cut health care costs

(HealthDay)—Many Americans feel that keeping out-of-pocket health care costs is more important than staying with the same primary care physician.

Other created May 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Title V coverage varies across states for diabetes

(HealthDay)—There is significant state by state variation in Title V medical coverage for children with diabetes, according to a study published in the April issue of The Journal of Pediatrics.

Pediatrics created May 10, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Advance directives manage end of life care issues and reduce end of life medical costs

A new article available online in the American Journal of Public Health by two Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health faculty makes a compelling case that end-of-life care issues need to become an integral part o ...

Health created May 08, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

5,000 steps a day to avoid paying higher health insurance costs? When money talks, people walk

It was a controversial move when a health insurer began requiring people who were obese to literally pay the price of not doing anything about their weight – but it worked, a new study finds.

Health created May 08, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Increase in medical treatment caused greatest increase in US health care costs

The increasing proportion of the population that received treatment for a specific medical condition – called "treated disease prevalence"—along with higher spending per treated case accounted for most of the rise in ...

Health created May 06, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Study finds health insurance helps lower-income Americans avoid depression, diabetes, major financial shocks

Enrollment in Medicaid helps lower-income Americans overcome depression, get proper treatment for diabetes, and avoid catastrophic medical bills, but does not appear to reduce the prevalence of diabetes, high blood pressure ...

Health created May 03, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Hong Kong prescribes new dose of old Chinese medicine

The young woman pours a pack of brown powder into a glass of hot water, stirs it well and drinks the murky mixture down, hoping the traditional Chinese medicine will cure her feverish cold.

Medications created Apr 30, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1

Expanding Medicaid: Mental and financial health improve, but no improvement shown in physical health

New findings from the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment show that Medicaid coverage had no detectable effect on the prevalence of diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure, but substantially reduced depression, ...

Health created May 01, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Utah to be first to use dual-model health exchange

(AP)—The federal government has approved Utah to become the first state to have a dual-model health insurance exchange in which the state and the federal government divide responsibilities.

Health created May 10, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Application for health coverage has been simplified, shortened

(HealthDay)—The application for health insurance coverage has been simplified and shortened, with the application reduced to three pages for individuals, according to a report released April 30 by the Centers ...

Health created May 08, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Health costs forcing more Americans to skip care: survey

One quarter of Americans report problems paying for medical bills, and more than half say they have skipped or cut back on health care due to the cost, according to a survey released Monday.

Health created Jun 12, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

The cost of prescription drugs—a comparison of two countries

In the United States, the cost paid for statins (drugs to lower cholesterol) in people under the age of 65 who have private insurance continues to exceed comparable costs paid by the government in the United Kingdom (U.K.) ...

Medications created Nov 01, 2012 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 1

Delays in diagnosis worsen outlook for minority, uninsured pediatric retinoblastoma patients

When the eye cancer retinoblastoma is diagnosed in racial and ethnic minority children whose families don't have private health insurance, it often takes a more invasive, potentially life-threatening course than in other ...

Cancer created Apr 24, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

Proposed 'Medicare Essential' plan estimated to save $180 billion over 10 years

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 ...

Health created May 06, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Health insurance

Health insurance is insurance that pays for medical expenses. It is sometimes used more broadly to include insurance covering disability or long-term nursing or custodial care needs. It may be provided through a government-sponsored social insurance program, or from private insurance companies. It may be purchased on a group basis (e.g., by a firm to cover its employees) or purchased by individual consumers. In each case, the covered groups or individuals pay premiums or taxes to help protect themselves from high or unexpected healthcare expenses. Similar benefits paying for medical expenses may also be provided through social welfare programs funded by the government.

By estimating the overall risk of healthcare expenses, a routine finance structure (such as a monthly premium or annual tax) can be developed, ensuring that money is available to pay for the healthcare benefits specified in the insurance agreement. The benefit is administered by a central organization such as a government agency, private business, or not-for-profit entity.

For more information about Health insurance, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.