Category: Health Costs
More States Are Doing What They Can to Cap Insulin Costs
In response to the steep rise in out-of-pocket costs for insulin over the past two decades — enough to compel many diabetic patients to ration their use of the medicine — nearly two dozen states have passed measures in the past few years capping the out-of-pocket costs for some patients.
Get help paying for prescriptions
Many Washington residents need help paying for prescription drugs. The Washington Prescription Drug Program (WPDP) offers a state-sponsored program to provide savings to Washingtonians through the ArrayRx discount card.
Many Patients Can’t Afford Health Costs Even With Insurance
Many Americans have policies that only provide limited financial protection, to the point that many patients report forgoing needed medical care or prescriptions to avoid being hit with punishing out-of-pocket costs.
In America, Cancer Patients Endure Debt on Top of Disease
Cancer kills about 600,000 people in the U.S. every year, making it a leading cause of death. Many more survive it, because of breakthroughs in medicines and therapies. But the high costs of modern-day care have left millions with a devastating financial burden. That’s forced patients and their families to make gut-wrenching sacrifices even as they confront a grave illness.
New Safeguards May Help Those Who Are Drowning in Medical Debt
Patient advocates and some state governments say hospitals must do more to help patients deal with medical bills before the debt winds up in collections.
Frustrated With Delays, Doctors Take Aim at Prior Authorization
Doctors have long asserted that prior authorization — the need to get approval from the patient’s insurer before proceeding with treatment — causes delays that can hurt patient care. Prior authorizations also exact a toll on doctors, who say the paperwork has gotten out of hand.
Nonprofit drugmaker Civica Rx is taking aim at the high insulin prices harming people with diabetes
Civica Rx, a non-profit that manufactures generic drugs, is planning to produce generic insulin for a price of no more than $30 for a month.
Jaw Surgery at Swedish takes a $27,119 bite out of Seattle man’s budget
He thought his new insurance was like his older plan but Swedish Medical Center billed him $27,119 for a second, follow-up surgery.
U.S. health system ranks last among 11 high-income nations, study finds.
Remarkably, a high-income person in the U.S. was more likely to report financial barriers than a low-income person in nearly all the other countries surveyed: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.K.
At Urgent Care, He Got 5 Stitches and a Big Surprise: A Plastic Surgeon’s Bill for $1,040
Insurers often try to steer patients to urgent care and away from costly emergency rooms, but individuals could still get hit with large bills in the process.
Olympic Dream Dashed After Bike Crash and Nightmare Medical Bill Over $200K
The cyclist collided with three health system threats: an out-of-state emergency, out-of-network care and gold-plated prices from both hospitals that treated him.
Reporter set out to compare hospital prices. After three months, he gave up.
Lesson: Don’t try this at home.
Laws to Help Patients Get Pricey Drugs Fall Short, Advocates Say
Opponents say requirement that doctors use ‘step therapy’ protocols delay patients access to effective drugs.
Laws to Curb Surprise Medical Bills Might Be Inflating Health Care Costs
Doctors and other medical providers are leveraging state laws that rely on arbitration to increase in-network fees, thereby raising health care costs for everyone.
‘Kicking You When You’re Down’: Many Cancer Patients Pay Dearly for Parking
The cost of parking while in cancer treatment is drawing scrutiny from oncology researchers and even some hospital administrators.