The Congressional Budget Office reported that the gap between health costs for normal weight versus obese Americans has increased over the past two years. The report shows that in 1987 health care cost 8 percent more to treat obese patients. The gap grew to 38 percent in 2007. The report also states that obese individuals are more likely to develop serious illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes. This could be a contributing factor to the gap along with the increase of obese Americans (44 percent in 1987 to 63 percent in 2007).
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The Obama Administration announced a new website, www.CuidadoDeSalud.gov, a Spanish version of the Healthcare.gov, to describe the health care benefits for Latinos. The website comes to highlight specific benefits for the Latino population as almost one-third of Latinos is uninsured, the largest of any ethnic group in the US. Therefore, the website helps to point out health care basics and key issues such as prevention under the new law.
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A report by the American Association for Justice (AAJ) shows that medical liability accounts for 2.4 percent of the yearly cost of health care. The report also showed that increasing the rights of the patient does practically nothing to lower the health care costs. Additionally, the total amount of annual health care cost spent on medical liability is $55.6 billion, which the report finds to be an “unlikely…source of significant savings.”
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Governor Strickland reimbursed almost $200 million in enhanced federal Medicaid matching funds to hospitals, mental-health services and prescription assistance programs for HIV/AIDS patients throughout Ohio. An additional $243 million will be withheld to figure out the best way to allocate the money.
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The cities of Cincinnati and Detroit were selected as the final two cities to be a part of the Health IT Pilot to help health p[problems in communities across the country. The Greater Cincinnati HealthBridge, Inc. will receive $13.8 million over the next three years to serve 16 counties and improve the quality of care, technology and information and coordinate care to focus on specific issues such as adult diabetes.
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A recent report shows that the cost that the average worker paid for health insurance increased by 14 percent with the worker paying around $482 more than last year or about $4,000. This increase marks a troubling pattern of employer-sponsored coverage that doesn’t focus on the quality of the benefits, rather on the cost.
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The AARP’s annual survey showed that brand name prescription drug prices rose 8% this year. The reasons include brand loyalty, competition and creating niche products.
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The survey shows that a family pays an average of 14 percent more this year for health insurance coverage. Since 2005, the increase has been 47 percent in what employees pay for health coverage (with an 18 percent increase in wages). Workers are now expected to pay a higher premium as well as a higher deductible.
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For the first six months of 2010, spending on health care fell .2%, the first recorded decrease since 1995. The decrease is attributed to the recession with many cutting back on health care spending as opposed to the recession in 2001 when health care costs increased. A majority of the decreased spending this year has been on prescription drugs, hospital visits and dental work.
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Many offices are offering patients health care credit cards to cover visits, tests and necessary treatments. However, is signing up for these cards a good idea? The New York Attorney General has begun investigating the health-care lending industry in regards to health care credit cards. Other states have done the same including Minnesota and California. This is because many are unaware they are signing up for a card, they believe it is necessary paperwork. Also, associated with the cards are interest charges and even overcharges. As the cost of care rises, many will consider a card but there are other solutions such as asking for an extended payment plan.
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