health care costs

Legal maneuvering, industry lobbying and lax IRS oversight leave lots of room for “operating surpluses.”

Rising health care costs are fueling anxiety among older Americans covered by Medicare. They’re right to be concerned.

Although reducing student loan debt has been a focus for President Joe Biden, the poll found that Americans are more likely to say medical debt relief should be a government priority.

Systems are increasingly stretching a velvet rope, offering “concierge physician service” to an affluent clientele who pay a yearly fee. Critics say the practice exacerbates primary care shortages.

The federal government requires every state to recover money from the assets of dead people who, in their final years, relied on Medicaid for long-term care. Critics want the practice to stop.

Artificial intelligence software to aid radiologists has been moving rapidly into clinical use, where it shows great promise. But it’s a turnoff for some patients asked to pay out-of-pocket for technology that’s not ready for prime time.

The Senate Health Policy Committee will hold a workshop Tuesday “to begin the process of fine-tuning ideas, putting pen to paper, and of course, hearing more input from stakeholders.”

Two dozen states, from Florida to Washington, have passed laws that allow hospital systems to merge into monopolies, disregarding FTC warnings that such mergers can become difficult to control and may decrease quality of care.

Prior authorization is a common tool used by health insurers for many tests, procedures and prescriptions. Frustrated by the process some patients and doctors want to elevate their denials for further review.

The annual cost of lecanemab treatment quadruples if the expense of brain scans to monitor for bleeds and other associated care is factored in. The full financial toll likely puts it beyond reach for low-income seniors.

A new report boosts the estimated number of people enrolled in plans whose members — usually brought together by shared religious beliefs — pay one another’s health costs.

Close to 40% of surveyed Americans, a record high, put off medical care last year because of finances. Americans are delaying or skipping doctor's visits, dental and vision care, and medications.