Archive | Health Plans RSS feed for this section

Paying medical bills is a chronic problem for 1 in 3 uninsured, and 1 in 5 insured people under 65

By on January 4, 2012 in Affordable Care Act, Employers, Health Consumers, Health Economics, Health Plans, Medicare, Safety net and health, Uninsured

Over 20% of U.S. families had problems paying medical bills in 2010 — about the same proportion as in 2007. The Center for Studying Health System Change found this datapoint “surprising,” given the Great Recession of 2008 that lingers into 2012. However, HSC points out that the leveling of medical bill problems may be a “byproduct” of [...]

Read full story • Comments { 0 }

Employees predict reduced benefits in 2012; one-half expect layoffs

By on December 6, 2011 in Employers, Health Economics, Health insurance, Health Plans

On the face of the raw data, tbe good news from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on the nation’s employment picture was an additional 120,000 jobs in November. This drove the unemployment rate down to 8.6%. Underneath that number, though, remains what is still a shaky economy for both workers and those seeking full employment to match what [...]

Read full story • Comments { 0 }

The New American Dream: personal sustainability, not wealth

By on December 2, 2011 in Health Consumers, Health Economics, Health engagement, Health insurance, Health Plans, Prevention and wellness

The Great American Recession of 2008 will reawaken in 2012, Goldman Sachs expects. In the current economic climate of a jobless recovery and dropping home values, the definition of The American Dream has changed. It’s more about personal fulfillment than financial gain, according to the 2011 MetLife Study of The American Dream: The Do-It-Yourself Dream. This is [...]

Read full story • Comments { 1 }

What’s baked into the Affordable Care Act? Half of Americans still don’t realize there’s no-cost preventive care

By on November 30, 2011 in Affordable Care Act, Health Consumers, Health engagement, Health insurance, Health literacy, Health marketing, Health Plans, Medicare, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Popular culture and health, PPACA, Prescription drugs

The U.S. public’s views on health reform — the Affordable Care Act (ACT) – remain fairly negative, although the percent of people feeling favorably toward it increased from 34% to 37% between October and November. Still, that represents a low from the 50% who favored the law back in July 2010. It’s quite possible that [...]

Read full story • Comments { 1 }

Retail health is hot, especially for the young, affluent and not particularly sick

By on November 28, 2011 in Chronic care, Health care marketing, Health Consumers, Health engagement, Health insurance, Health Plans, Pharmacy, Prevention and wellness, Primary care, Retail health, Women and health

Walmart issued a Request for Information to expand its retail health footprint in the communities in which the world’s largest company operates. That was a strong sign that retail health has surpassed a tipping point. Now, there are hard data to support this observation from a RAND Corporation research team. Trends in Retail Clinic Use Among [...]

Read full story • Comments { 1 }