Archive for the ‘Medicine Coverage’ Category

Ending Surprise Medical Bills, and Removing a Stain on U.S. Healthcare

May 21, 2019 | Surprise medical billing

How Will Legislation Ending Surprise Medical Bills Affect U.S. Healthcare Costs?    Erasing a stain on our medical system, and reducing costs as well—by how much?   On Thursday May 9, I was watching one of the business TV channels to learn about the status of our trade war with China, and the anchor announced …

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The Future of AI in Health Care

March 4, 2019 | Artificial Intelligence

The Future of AI in U.S. Health Care   Artificial Intelligence will help develop new cures, but to solve access and cost issues, we will need new policies at the federal and state government level Billions of dollars are being invested annually in artificial intelligence (AI), by large health care insurers, pharmaceutical companies and venture …

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Has U.S. Health Care Spending Finally Stabilized?

February 3, 2019 | ACA

Has U.S. Health Care Spending Finally Stabilized? An Outlook for 2019 The official 2017 statistics from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) are out, and there are some good news: The annual growth rate of health care spending is slowing down, and is the lowest since 2013 at 3.9%—it was 4.8% for …

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The Midterms and U.S. Health Policy: What Changes?

November 14, 2018 | 2018 Midterms

The Midterms and U.S. Health Policy: What Changes? The Democrats have taken control of the House. And Utah, Nebraska and Idaho have approved Medicaid expansion. What does this portend for U.S. health policy? In a nutshell, four health care developments will take place or are likely to occur within the next two years: Medicaid expansion …

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What Could “Medicare for All” Look Like for Main Street Americans

November 2, 2018 | Medicare for All

What Could “Medicare for All” Look Like for Main Street Americans? Looking beyond the (too) narrow choice between the status-quo and a single payer solution  Our November 6, 2018 midterm elections are four days away, and over 70% of Americans tell pollsters that health care is their number one concern. Many in the U.S. worry …

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The November 6 Midterm Elections and Their Impact on Obamacare

November 1, 2018 | Obamacare as Law of the Land

The November 6 Midterm Elections and Their Impact on Obamacare  A Q&A on the ACA and the upcoming elections   What is the likelihood the ACA will be repealed? This straightforward question has a very simple answer: It depends on the results of the upcoming November 6 U.S. congressional elections. If the Republicans retain control …

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A Rare Moment of Bipartisanship in U.S. Healthcare

October 22, 2018 | Increasing Pharma Competition

The end of “gag orders” prohibiting pharmacists from informing patients on the cheapest way to buy prescription drugs On September 18 of this year, Congress passed a couple of bipartisan bills in health care: These two bills, one for Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries, and the other for employer-sponsored and individual health coverage, were passed …

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Is Complexity in Healthcare Killing Us?

May 17, 2018 | Healthcare

We spend almost $10,000 per year per capita in healthcare, about twice as much as the average developed economy. However, we get little for what we spend: in terms of major health outcomes, such as infant mortality or life expectancy, we rank below most other developed nations. Why? Among other reasons, complexity explains why we …

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