11 Easy and Great Ways to Save Money in 2013
With the prospect of higher taxes and federal budget cuts looming on Dec. 31, here are 11 easy ways you can save money and/or put a few extra dollars back in your pocket in 2013.
health insurance costs
Surprise: New Insurance Fee in Health Care Reform Law
Your medical plan is facing an unexpected expense, so you probably are, too: It's a new, $63-per-head fee to cushion the cost of covering people with pre-existing conditions under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.
Obamacare Could Kill One Type of Cheap Health Insurance
A key goal of the Affordable Care Act was to reduce national cost of health care. But one of its effects may be to eliminate a popular product that cuts Americans' personal health insurance costs: high-deductible health plans.
Health Care Options for Young, Healthy and Broke
They're young, healthy and flat broke -- and now the government says they have to buy thousands of dollars' worth of medical insurance. What should tapped-out twentysomethings do?
When You Retire Really Matters
As baby boomers start hitting age 65, putting off retirement for a few years has become all the rage. But even if you're pessimistic about your financial prospects, you may not need to wait as long as you might think to retire securely.
Consumers to Get $1 Billion in Health Insurance Rebates
Health insurers will dole out a total of $1 billion in rebates to 12.8 million Americans this summer -- an average of $151 per family --as a result of the 2010 health care reform law, the government said Thursday.
Rebates From Obamacare to Top $1 Billion: Report
More than 3 million health insurance policyholders and thousands of employers will share $1.3 billion in rebates this year, thanks to President Barack Obama's health care law, a nonpartisan research group said Thursday.
Obama's Health Overhaul Lags in Many States
Here's a reality check for President Barack Obama's health overhaul: Three out of four uninsured Americans live in states that have yet to figure out how to deliver on its promise of affordable medical care. This is the year that will make or break the health care law. States were supposed to be partners in carrying out the biggest safety net expansion since Medicare and Medicaid, and the White House claims they're making steady progress.
Clearer Consumer Price Tags for Healthcare
A new database, created as part of the New York settlement with insurance companies over out-of-network coverage, estimates the cost of a wide range of different procedures. The tool gives consumers a better idea of their expected bills.
Millions Lose Health Insurance With Their Jobs
Millions of Americans not only lost their jobs in the Great Recession, but also their health insurance, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. Many are skipping health care or falling into debt to pay medical bills as a result.
Fewer Americans Get Employer Health Insurance
Amid high unemployment rates and rising health-care costs, a smaller proportion of Americans -- less than 45% -- are getting health insurance from their employers, according to a recent Gallup survey.
Waging a War of Numbers Over Repealing Health Care Reform
GOP leaders will plead for the benefits of repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, bringing arguments and numbers to support their viewpoint, while House Democrats will continue their counterpush, throwing very different numbers at the American public.
Will Obamacare Really Kill 1.6 Million Jobs?
The Republican opposition in Congress has put that number on the impact they say health care insurance reform will have on employment. The law's proponents say that figure is way off target. The real effect will likely depend on how the law actually gets implemented.
What a Wild Year It Was
for Health Care
Led by the health insurance reform law, a flurry of drug and food recalls, key medical breakthroughs and plenty of layoffs and lawsuits, 2010 proved to be an exciting -- if not always positive -- year. Here's our rundown of the biggest health care stories.
New Report: Fewer Americans Have Health Insurance
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.
Blue Cross Michigan Sued by Justice Department in Antitrust Case
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has been sued by the U.S. Justice Department for what regulators say are actions by the insurer that boost both hospital and consumer costs while stifling competition.
One in Six Americans Is Now on Medicaid
A record one in six Americans is on Medicaid, the government's health program for the poor. And Medicaid is just one of several government anti-poverty programs that have seen large increases in caseloads -- and costs.
Concierge Medicine: Paying for Your Doc's Undivided Attention
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.
