Couples retiring this year can expect their medical bills throughout retirement to cost 4 percent more than those who retired a year ago, according to an annual projection released Wednesday by Fidelity Investments.
A year after President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law, many Americans are still struggling to get their insurance to cover basic medical treatments. And now, they are increasingly exploring less expensive alternatives to traditional Western medicine -- like acupuncture.
In his State of the Union address, President Obama didn't shy away from tackling the ongoing questions about the health care reform law head on. And though he opened with a joke, he made it clear that while he's serious about repairing any flaws in the law, repeal is not an option.
As health-care costs skyrocket, the ranks of uninsured Americans are growing at their fastest rate ever. A new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities finds that 50.7 million people, or 16.7% of the population, had no health coverage in 2009, up from 46.4 million, or 15.4%, in 2008.
Health care costs will increase between 10.5% and 11% over the next year, marginally higher than last year's rise, consulting firm Aon said Wednesday. Aon pins the increase on factors such as rising prescription drug costs and the effects of the health care reform law passed this spring.
By some calculations, the Obama plan will help trim future budget gaps. But other figures show it'll only make things worse. The problem is that no one knows for sure right now, and that makes sensible spending choices ever harder to make.
With a hefty price tag of $940 billion over 10 years, the landmark health care bill passed late Sunday will significantly change health policy in the U.S. Here's what it could mean for you.
Why is public support falling? People are confused by all the rhetoric, shocked by the huge price tag and scared that the proposed changes will only make the situation worse. Yet it's not too late for Congress to come together and improve a system that isn't working now.
