“For decades, the health insurance industry has been scaring Americans about Canada’s health care system. We hear from a whistleblower about his role in the disinformation campaign.” Why is this relevant today? The same types of disinformation are being used to smear the Affordable Care Act. AMANDA ARONCZYK, BYLINE: When I first moved to the…
Category: health care costs
What will Medicare cost me in retirement?
“Health care inflation has been running about double the rate of general inflation.” “The standard monthly premium for Part B (outpatient services) this year is $135.50; Medicare’s trustees forecast annual increases averaging 5.9 percent through 2028. Enrollees in traditional Medicare can expect inflation of 6 percent if inflation for Medigap premiums is included.” “According to…
How a health care overhaul would cut jobs — and help the economy
“As calls for radical health reform grow louder, many on the right, in the center and in the health care industry are arguing that proposals like “Medicare for All” would cause economic ruin, decimating a sector that represents nearly 20% of our economy.”“It’s true: Any significant reform would require major realignment of the health care…
Medicare Part B cost going up
According to The Wall Street Journal (4/23/19) the cost of Medicare part B premiums for 2020 will likely increase $8.80/month from $135.50 to $144.30. The previous increase was from $134 in 2018.While Medicare part A that covers hospitalization is usually free for most Americnas 65 and older, Part B charges a monthly premium that ranges…
Get help paying for prescription drugs
“Consumers are powerless to control spiraling medication prices, but low-income, uninsured and under-insured individuals can often get help paying for their drugs. The help, in the form of subsidies or prescription price reductions, comes from four sources. The first is exclusively for seniors on Medicare, but the rest are available to everyone.”1. Medicare’s Extra Help…
Mistakes are common in health care bills
Here’s a key way to prevent paying more for your health care than you should “At least 50 percent of the claims reviewed on behalf of DirectPath’s clients contain an error, according to the employee-benefits manager.” “Simple mistakes can result in higher bills, which means you should be checking every single bill you receive from…
Avoiding Surprise Medical Bills
“Surprise medical bills can happen from nearly any encounter with the health-care system” according to Emma Court for MarketWatch. “Awareness of so-called “surprise medical bills,” which occur when an insured patient receives an unexpected bill for out-of-network care, has grown in recent years. Emergency room horror stories, in which one or some of the medical…
Why not Medicare for all? HR bill 676
With all the debate and animosity about overhauling the Affordable Care Act (which, BTW IS the same as “Obamacare” although 30% of Americans do NOT know this simple fact), why not Medicare for all Americans? Most people, both consumers and members of Congress, don’t seem to realize that under our current system of health insurance,…
Medical Bills Are the Biggest Cause of US Bankruptcies
With Republicans vowing to repeal (and replace?) the Affordable Care Act, the headline that “Medical Bills Are the Biggest Cause of US Bankruptcies” was no surprise to this researcher who devoted many years to the study of consumer bankruptcy. Dan Mangan wrote in 2013: “Bankruptcies resulting from unpaid medical bills will affect nearly 2 million…