Millions of seniors enrolled in some of the most popular Medicare prescription drug plans face double-digit premium hikes next year if they don't shop for a better deal, says a private firm that analyzes the highly competitive market.
We comparison shop for everything from cars to computers to coffee -- so why do so few of us bargain-hunt when it comes to the enormous expenses of health care? With or without insurance, it is possible to shop around, and negotiate for a better deal with your doctors.
The recent pushback on health care reform appears to have boosted the stock prices of health insurance companies, which have outperformed major indexes by quite a margin so far this year. That's because Americans have been cutting back on doctor visits, keeping reimbursement costs low.
It may be the perfect gift for the person who has everything: a Walgreens gift card good for one flu shot. Walgreens will offer the gift cards as well as round-the-clock, no-appointment-necessary flu shots at each of its 7,500 locations.
One in five medical claims is processed inaccurately by health insurers, the American Medical Association said on Monday. Eliminating these errors could save the health care system save $15.5 billion of the $210 billion it spends annually on claims processing.
Insurance company WellPoint, which is opposed to the health care reforms Democrats are promoting, handed them a public relations coup this week: It increased insurance rates on some individual policies by up to 39%. Wellpoint's profits last quarter? A mere $2.7 billion.
President Obama can't be pleased by the loss of a Democratic Senate seat which jeopardizes passage of his cherished health-care reform. The news, however, appears to have fueled a mini stock rally in the health-care and pharma sectors wary of how any reform would affect their businesses. The uptrend is expected to continue.
