Tag: health care costs

The impact of one hour of sleep on health care costs

Julie Campbell
EU auto insurance rates stress men male driver

Daylight savings time strips drivers of one hour of sleep, causing a surprising and costly result. One hour of sleep may not seem like a tremendous amount, but as the majority of the country grumbled over having to “spring forward” with daylight savings time, health care costs saw a notable, short term spike that will only repeat itself at the same time next year. Many studies continue to show that even one hour of sleep can have detrimental effects. At the same time that the majority of people do like…

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Minnesota health insurance exchange moving forward

S.Vagus
Health Insurance benefits

Minnesota health insurance exchange still in a state of confusion A task force formed in Minnesota by the state’s government is currently investigating the next steps the state should take in building its own health insurance exchange. The task force is advisory in nature, but plays a significant role in the state’s future health insurance structure. The association met earlier this week and is expected to provide state lawmakers with recommendations on how the Minnesota health insurance exchange should take form. Lawmakers still unsure how to build an exchange program…

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Insurers in Massachusetts gain approval for health insurance rate increases

S.Vagus

Massachusetts insurance regulators have approved a number of rate increase proposals from some of the state’s largest health insurance companies. Governor Deval Patrick supports the approval, citing rising health care costs that threaten to make an already ill economy more volatile. Consumer advocacy groups have decried the rate increases, saying that they put undue financial stress on those struggling to make ends meet. Regulators, however, have only approved proposals whose increases were less than 9% in the hopes of lightening the impact of higher rates. Blue Cross Blue Shield has…

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Massachusetts lawmakers look to change the state’s health care system with a global payment plan

Massachusetts lawmakers are struggling to rein in on rising health care costs, but a solution may be on its way as the state reaches the conclusion of a three-year long study. The study concerns the state of Massachusetts’ health care system and how insurance companies, hospitals and doctors interact with one another. The state is not the first to consider sweeping changes to its health care system, but it may be the first in enacting such changes. Legislators are currently working toward a plan they call “global payments.” The basic…

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Researchers find that U.S. insurers pay more for medical care than their counterparts in Canada

S.Vagus

Health insurance rates are rising throughout the nation. Insurers are quick to justify these rate increases with the soaring costs of medical care and administration. While the nations insurance regulators are leery of these justifications, researchers at both Cornell University and the University of Toronto say that insurers claims may be accurate. According to a report released from the universities, health insurance administrative costs are almost four times higher in the U.S. than they are in Canada. The report finds that Doctors in the U.S. spend excessive amounts of money…

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