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New study shows health insurance premium spikes in every state

Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance have risen faster than incomes in every state in the nation, according to a report released Thursday. The analysis of federal data by the Commonwealth Fund, an independent research organization, shed new light on the state-by-state picture while essentially confirming a national trend, highlighted in other recent surveys of employer-sponsored insurance, of greater premiums for skimpier benefits.

Washington Post
May 24, 2012

Study: Unemployed, Underemployed U.S. Residents Delaying Care

About half of unemployed and underemployed U.S. residents do not have health insurance and 56% are delaying necessary care because of concerns about cost, according to according to a study released Monday by NPR and the Kaiser Family Foundation, National Journal reports.

California Healthline
May 24, 2012

Maternal Mortality Rates Rising in California

It is something we take for granted in the United States. A woman enters the hospital to give birth and she emerges a couple of days later with a beautiful bundle of joy. That is how it usually goes. But this story is about the rare exception -- women who die within 42 days of childbirth. In the health care community it's called simply "maternal mortality." And in the U.S., many experts believe it is on the rise.

ABC News
May 24, 2012

More Americans seeking dental treatment at the ER

More Americans are turning to the emergency room for routine dental problems - a choice that often costs 10 times more than preventive care and offers far fewer treatment options than a dentist's office, according to an analysis of government data and dental research.

Associated Press / Yahoo News
May 24, 2012

Survey Shows Americans Pay a Lot More For Health Care

Americans spend more than people in other countries on just about every medical procedure and doctor visit, according to a new report from the International Federation of Health Plans ww.ifhp.com.

National Journal
May 24, 2012

Unpaid medical bills can drag down credit

Your credit can be wrecked if the doctor or hospital kicks your unpaid bill to a collection agency. 22 million Americans were contacted by collection agencies for unpaid medical bills in 2005. That increased to 30 million Americans in 2010. People with wrecked credit scores include those who were just trying to resolve a dispute with their insurance company. It includes people owing less than $250. And even after the bill is paid, the record of the collection action can stay on a credit report for up to seven years. That can drag down a credit score and drive up the cost of financing a home.

SFGate
May 24, 2012

An emergency room story to make anyone ill

The tale of an 11-year-old's $5,000 stomachache reveals the Twilight Zone of hospital billing. The charges seem arbitrary if not indefensible.

Los Angeles Times
May 24, 2012

One in four Americans without health coverage: study

As the U.S. Supreme Court ponders the fate of healthcare reform in the current election year, a study released on Thursday shows that one in four working-age Americans went without insurance at some point in 2011, often as a result of unemployment and other job changes.

Reuters
May 24, 2012

Nurses push tax on trades to help sick

Of all the street actions leading up to the NATO summit, the one that might seem most perplexing is a nurses’ rally for a tax on securities trades. Financial markets are pretty remote from hospital bedsides, you might think. Why would nurses get mixed up in an issue like that?

Chicago Sun Times
May 23, 2012

Supreme Court Judges Have Access to Guaranteed Care, Shouldn’t You?

Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Stephen Breyer did not have much in common during the three days of debate on the 2010 healthcare law before the Supreme Court March 26-28. But they did share one essential characteristic. All four will never have to worry about guaranteed access to healthcare.

Commentary by Rose Ann DeMoro, published by Common Dreams
May 23, 2012