healthinsurance

Nearly everyone is feeling the pain of high health care costs. Between 2003 and 2010, the cost employers paid for family coverage rose 50% and employees' share of the tab increased 63%. That's money siphoned away from the rest of the economy.

If you're very sick and not very wealthy in America, your best move may be to flee the country -- because you'd be better off in any other first world nation. Otherwise, expect to pay through the nose and possibly wind up deep in debt, according to a new report from The Commonwealth Fund.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, those of us who reach age 65 will have a 40% chance of entering a nursing home, and 10% will stay in one for five years or more. So does this mean you need long-term care insurance?

On Friday, Walmart announced it was rolling back is health benefits for part-time workers -- benefits that the nation's largest employer expanded just a few years ago in response to criticism of its labor practices. And even the lucky few employees who get to keep their coverage aren't going to like the new plan much.

When times get tough, teeth just aren't on the top of the "take care of this now" list. And that's nothing to smile about. About half of Americans lack dental insurance, and 77% of those have postponed seeing a dentist because of the cost -- a choice that can have serious long-term consequences.

The numbers aren't too pretty. Underinsured adults -- those with health insurance all year and very high medical expenses relative to their incomes, rose by 80% between 2003-2010, from 16 million to 29 million. Nearly half of U.S. adults, 81 million people, were either underinsured or uninsured in...

Last month, new regulations were issued under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) requiring insurance companies to make choosing a plan simpler. Specifically, the new rules require insurers to publish forms providing "clear, consistent and comparable information" about the health-care plans they offer.

As the federal super committee looks for $1.5 trillion in cuts, it's clear that fixing the federal budget will mean tackling big items -- including Medicare, America's most popular social program and one of its most expensive.

As more people lose their jobs, fewer people are getting their health insurance costs paid by their employer. And that means more consumers are seeking individual coverage, a daunting task. A new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation helps clarify the costs by state.

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.