Basic Access

Make the Most of Face Time with Your Doctor

Healthcare is expensive and time-consuming, so if you’re going to waste time sitting in a doctor’s waiting room, you’ll want to make sure you get your money’s worth when it’s finally your turn. CNN reported May 14 that you can maximize the brief time you’ll actually spend face-to-face with your doctor by: Doing your homework [...]

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Americans Perceive Rising Standard of Living

Americans are feeling better about their current and future standard of living than they have in years, according to a new Gallup poll. Self-assessment of standard of living hit an all-time high in April 2013, with an average national score of 40. The previous high on the five-year-old survey was 38, recorded in March; prior [...]

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Spending on Prescription Drugs Falls as More Americans Ration Healthcare

Americans spent less on prescription drugs last year, but that’s not good news: the reason is mainly that people can’t afford their medications, a new report contends. The Associated Press reported May 9 that the report from the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics found that U.S. spending on medications fell from $329.2 billion in 2011 to $325.8 billion [...]

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Mystery of Hospital Billing Methods Deepens with New Report

A study of hospital billing practices for Medicare patients finds broad variations from facility to facility, with some hospitals charging tens of thousands of dollars more for the same procedure than others, the New York Times reported May 8. For example: The cost for implanting a pacemaker varied by more than $30,000 between two New [...]

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Financial Worries Ease in U.S.

More than half of all Americans are still very worried about their finances, but overall levels of concern have dropped to levels not seen since before the start of the current recession, according to Gallup’s annual Economy and Personal Finance survey. The survey found that 53 percent of Americans say they have moderate to high levels [...]

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Overweight? Don’t Expect TLC from Your Doctor, Study Says

Doctors spend about the same amount of time with patients regardless of their weight, and the quality of care is about the same. But researchers say that many doctors are simply not as nice to their overweight and obese patients as they are with others in their care, the New York Times reported April 29. [...]

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Genetically Engineered Food Labeling Bill Introduced in Congress

A bill that would require food labels disclosing the inclusion of any genetically modified ingredients has been introduced in Congress by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Rep. Pete DeFazio (D-Ore.), according to a press release from the Center for Food Safety. The Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act initially attracted 9 co-sponsors in the Senate and [...]

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Many Americans Skip Healthcare Due to Cost

Rationing of healthcare is one of the big concerns about healthcare reform, but under the current system millions of Americans already choose not to get treatment for monetary reasons, CNN Money reported April 26. The Commonwealth Fund’s Biennial Health Insurance Survey found that 80 million Americans, or 43 percent of the adult, working-age population, skipped needed [...]

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Will You Qualify for a Federal Health Insurance Subsidy?

“Obamacare” will go into full effect next year, and along with a requirement that every American has health insurance will come subsidies to help approximately 26 million people pay for health coverage. However, few of those eligible know that this support is coming, CNN Money reported April 23. Under the Affordable Care Act, tax credits [...]

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Economy Tops Other U.S. Worries Like Healthcare and Guns

Americans are more concerned about the current economic climate and the possibility of losing a job than other worries like dissatisfaction with government, illegal immigration, gun control, and healthcare, according to a new Gallup poll. About one in four people polled over the last three months cited the economy in general as the most important [...]

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