High hospital costs seem to be a fact of life that most Americans have reluctantly come to accept. What most people don't realize, however, is that not all of those charges are legit: Many medical bills contain fraudulent charges.
Short wait times for doctor visits and 24/7 access to physicians are some of the perks available through concierge health care. But such perks cost more -- sometimes a lot more. And these plans could create a two-tier health care system.
For the fifth time this year, Congress has voted to postpone steep Medicare pay cuts for doctors. The latest vote gives doctors a year's reprieve from the 25% pay cut, which some have said would keep them from accepting new Medicare patients.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data that found that almost half of all Americans took at least one prescription drug per month in 2008, up from 43.5% a decade ago.
There's a massive doctor shortage coming. One solution: develop artificial intelligence that is as good as a real physician at diagnosis. But even if this is possible, will patients be willing to trust robot doctors with their health?
Long a must-have for stars and the very rich, concierge doctors are becoming more common among middle class folks who are fed up with long waits and rushed visits in traditional practices. These patients are willing to pay a price for doctors who are available 24/7 and who make house calls.
