Tag:

rising healthcare costs

Latest Headlines

Latest Headlines

Massachusetts health costs rise almost 5%, report finds

Insurers operating in Massachusetts, a closely watched state for its plan to lower costs and provide healthcare for all residents, haven't successfully saved money yet--though they have boosted alternative payments to providers.

How healthcare CEO salaries hurt consumers

The healthcare industry had the highest level of median pay for CEOs last year--$13.6 million--beating out other top industries such as basic materials, consumer goods and financial. 

Early plan renewal helped firms delay premium increases, ACA compliance

The Affordable Care Act is often credited with contributing to the recent slowdown in healthcare cost increases by helping millions of Americans obtain health insurance. A recent survey found that delaying the impact of the ACA might also be part of the reason why.

AHA: Reform, not lower provider payments, will curb healthcare spending

The American Hospital Association is weighing in on how to reduce healthcare spending, arguing in a new report that the solution is not to simply cut Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements to providers.

Insurers spend more on kids' care despite down enrollment

Insurers and consumers spent almost $88 billion in 2010 on children's healthcare, up almost 12 percent from 2007. That increase comes amid a 5.7 percent drop in the number of children covered by employer-sponsored insurance.

Harvard Pilgrim pays members to use cheaper treatments

Massachusetts-based Harvard Pilgrim has started paying patients $10 to $75 each time they get medical tests at a lower cost provider. Under Harvard Pilgrim's SaveOn program, when members get

WellPoint taps IBM's Watson to diagnose, recommend treatment

WellPoint (NYSE: WLP) has reached an agreement with IBM to use its supercomputer Watson (recently of "Jeopardy!" fame) to help physicians diagnose medical illnesses and recommend treatment options

Enhanced coverage plugs holes in 'underinsured' care

There are many problems with the nation's healthcare system today, but I think there's one in particular that needs to be addressed--nearly half of all U.S. adults (81 million people!) were either

Heavy hitters tackle ACOs, exchanges, savings

It's the end of healthcare as we know it now that implementation of some health reform law requirements has begun. Health insurers are still trying to wrap their collective brains around all the new

Accepting responsibility could control healthcare costs

We all know the healthcare system is facing dire straits with escalating costs that threaten the entire marketplace. That's nothing new. What is new is one health insurer's approach to addressing the