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Health care costs for a family of 4 in 2013: a college education, a diamond or a 4-door sedan

By on May 22, 2013 in Affordable Care Act, Employers, Health care marketing, Health Consumers, Health Economics, Health insurance, Health insurance exchanges, Health insurance marketplaces, Health marketing, Health Plans, Health policy, Health reform, Healthcare DIY, HealthcareDIY, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, PPACA, Shopping and health, Uninsured, Value based health

If you have $22,030 in your wallet, you can buy: A princess-cut diamond A Ford Focus 4-door A year’s tuition at James Madison University (in-state, 2013-14) A health plan for a family of four. The 2013 Milliman Medical Index gauges the annual health care costs for a typical American family at $22,030, up $1,302 from 2012 [...]

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Most employers will provide health insurance benefits in 2014…with more costs for employees

By on May 21, 2013 in Affordable Care Act, Business and health, Consumer-directed health, Corporate wellness, Design and health, Employers, Financial health, Health and wealth, Health benefits, Health care marketing, Health Consumers, Health Economics, Health engagement, Health insurance, Health insurance exchanges, Health insurance marketplaces, Health marketing, Health Plans, Health policy, Health reform, Healthcare DIY, HealthcareDIY, media and health, Money and health, Patient engagement, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Personal health finance, Popular culture and health, PPACA, Prescription drugs, Prevention and wellness, Retirement and health, Safety net and health, Shopping and health, Uninsured, Value based health

Nearly 100% of employers are likely to continue to provide health insurance benefits to workers in 2014, moving beyond a “wait and see” approach to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As firms strategize tactics for a post-ACA world, nearly 40% will increase emphasis on high-deductible health plans with a health savings account, 43% will increase [...]

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Un-directed Americans in a consumer-directed healthcare world

By on April 30, 2013 in Affordable Care Act, Business and health, Corporate wellness, Financial health, Health benefits, Health care marketing, Health Economics, Health engagement, Health insurance, Health insurance exchanges, Health insurance marketplaces, Health literacy, Health marketing, Health Plans, Health policy, Health reform, Healthcare DIY, HealthcareDIY, media and health, Patient engagement, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, PPACA, Shopping and health, Workplace wellness

U.S. employers have been implementing various flavors of consumer-directed health plans for the better part of a decade. But consumers feel neither “directed” nor especially competent in managing their way through these plans. It appears that employers also have their own sort of health plan illiteracy when it comes to understanding health reform — the [...]

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The Slow Economy Has Slowed Health Spending

By on April 29, 2013 in Consumer-directed health, Electronic health records, Employers, Health benefits, Health care information technology, Health care marketing, Health Consumers, Health Economics, Health engagement, Health insurance, Health insurance exchanges, Health insurance marketplaces, Health IT, Health policy, Health reform, Healthcare DIY, HealthcareDIY, Patient engagement, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, PPACA, Prevention and wellness, Value based health, Workplace wellness

Why has health cost growth in the U.S. slowed in the past few years? It’s mostly due to the economy, argues the Kaiser Family Foundation in Assessing the Effects of the Economy on the Recent Slowdown of Health Spending. The answer to this question is important because, as the American economy recovers, it begs the [...]

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FDA goes DTP(atient)

By on April 23, 2013 in Bio/life sciences, Design and health, Digital health, FDA, Health care marketing, Health Consumers, Health engagement, Health literacy, Health marketing, Health policy, Health regulation, Health social networks, Healthcare DIY, HealthcareDIY, Medical device, Medical innovation, Medical technology, Patient engagement, Pharmaceutical, Public health, Social media and health

The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) launched its new website for and about patients, the Patient Network, with the tagline, “Bringing your voice to drug and device approval and safety.” With this move, the FDA moves toward social health, someplace where at least one-third of U.S. consumers already opine, shop, share personal info, crowdsource cures, [...]

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