St. Luke's Health System of Kansas City will stop accepting insurance provided by UnitedHealthcare as of February. The separation comes after nearly a year and a half of trying to come to an agreement. Officials say, however, that a Medicare supplement plan that is administered by United, which insures about 20% of the Kansas City market, will not be affected.
Health insurance premiums rose 5% this year as coverage gets skimpier, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust. Overall, premiums increased to $12,680 for coverage of a family of four and premiums for single coverage increased to $4,704. The 5% increase was comparable to last year's jump.
A groundbreaking bill extending hospital discounts to people without health insurance has become law after the Illinois legislature overturned Gov. Rod Blagojevich's amendatory veto. The legislation requires hospitals to offer significant discounts to uninsured Illinoisans. Instead of paying the full sticker price—typically two to three times the actual cost of care—consumers will pay charges based on the actual cost plus a 35% markup.
Seniors are more likely to ask their pharmacist for generic medications when they are paying, but choose the more expensive originals when the government is covering the costs, according to a new study. Seniors who switch between low-cost generic drugs and the original products based on who's footing the bill are likely driving up the cost of the government's Medicare drug plan.
The proposed merger between Pennsylvania's two largest Blue Cross plans will further limit competition across the state, writes Tom Knox, former CEO of UnitedHealthcare of Pennsylvania and candidate for governor. The best way to lower the rising cost of health-insurance premiums for Pennsylvanians is through increased competition--not less, he adds.
Two studies released Wednesday provide further evidence of the toll that healthcare is increasingly placing on working families, even for those with health insurance. A survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that employees were continuing to spend more in medical costs, including their share of yearly insurance premiums. And a study by the Center for Studying Health System Change found nearly one of every five families had problems paying medical bills last year.