medical costs news stories on Newser

Do the Huge Amounts We Spend on Cancer Pay Off?

Kevin Spak — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:23:21 CDT

The US spends a lot more on cancer treatments than most countries, spending an average of $70,000 per case, compared to $44,000 in Europe. But it's worth it, a controversial new study argues, because American patients live an average 11.1 years after being diagnosed, compared to 9....

Doctors: Chill With All the MRIs, EKGs

Mark Russell — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:15:04 CDT

US doctors need to scale back on 45 of the most common testing procedures and treatments—such as EKGs for physicals when there's no sign of heart trouble, MRIs for routine back pain, and antibiotics for mild sinusitis. A panel of nine medical specialty boards is to make the recommendations...

We Should Pay for Drugs Only If They Work

Kevin Spak — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:56:28 CST

Medical costs, and especially drug costs, are scandalously high in the US, but just capping them isn't the answer, biotech exec Samuel Waksal writes in the New York Times . "Individuals and insurance companies should be willing to pay—and pay a lot—for drugs when they work," he argues. "The...

On Way Out, Medicare Boss Bashes 'Extreme' Waste

Kevin Spak — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 16:07:41 CST

Between 20% and 30% of all US health care spending is pure “waste,” according to departing Medicare and Medicaid chief Donald Berwick. “Much is done that does not help patients at all, and many physicians know it,” Berwick said in an interview with the New York Times on Thursday, his...

How to Combine the 2 Bills and Improve on Both

Kevin Spak — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:32:12 CST

The House will need to make a lot of last-minute sacrifices when combining its health care bill with the Senate’s, but if legislators play their cards right, the final bill could be a stronger beast. The Senate must stand by its strong cost control mechanisms, writes David Leonhardt of the...

The Senate's Health Care Plan: Try Everything

Kevin Spak — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:27:00 CST

The Senate health care plan ensures universal coverage, but when it comes to controlling costs, all it offers is…pilot programs. Sounds pretty flimsy, right? “Two thousand seventy-four pages and trillions of dollars later, this bill doesn’t even meet the basic goal,” complained Mitch McConnell, “to lower costs.” But pilot programs...

Senate Dems Say Obama Plans Don't Fix Spending

Harry Kimball — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:05:50 CST

Some Democrats in the Senate are worried that reform legislation under consideration doesn't do enough to rein in out-of-control health care spending. President Obama has promised $2 trillion in savings over the next 10 years, but critics say the proposed changes aren't nearly aggressive enough on the current pay-per-visit system...

In Sickness and for Health Insurance

Rob Quinn — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:08:24 CDT

Health insurance worries are pushing a growing number of Americans both into and out of marriages, the New York Times reports. Couples in which one party has better health benefits are marrying hastily as medical needs outweigh any doubts about each other. One survey this year found health insurance was...

More Say 'I Do' for Health Plans

Rob Quinn — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:12:09 CDT

Health-insurance worries have gotten so serious they're pushing some Americans up the aisle, the Los Angeles Times reports. In a new survey, 7% of people said they or somebody in their household had married in the last year to get health benefits. The survey also found that health-care worries trumped...