Health insurance costs can vary by as much as 26% among different metropolitan areas within the state, according to an analysis by Citizen Action, a coalition of labor unions and grass-roots groups.
Comprehensive women's health care will no longer be available in Jefferson County next year if full ownership of Exempla Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge is transferred as planned to a Catholic health organization, according to critics of the plan.
An expected vote on legislation overhauling California's $170 billion healthcare system has been postponed indefinitely. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders continue to disagree on elements of the plan from tax subsidies to insurance reform.
The Little Clinic, a Brentwood, TN-based chain of convenience care clinics, is plannning to open three locations inside Kroger grocery stores in Tennessee. The clinics are staffed by advanced nurse practioners who can diagnose, prognose and write prescriptions for treatments for common illnesses. They also offer general check-ups, physicals, back-to-school and sports exams, screenings and a number of vaccinations.
During a meeting with analysts and investors, UnitedHealth Group executives acknowledged missteps that have frustrated patients and doctors and cost it customers. The executives said the nation's second-largest health insurer is working to improve.
Concerned that rising costs could jeopardize Massachusetts' landmark health insurance initiative, a state panel has voted to press insurers to hold premium increases to 5 percent next year for unsubsidized plans. The panel is proposing several ways insurers can hold down prices, including steering patients to doctors and hospitals that provide lower-cost, high-quality care.