Monica Vigna-Bony was at the drugstore picking up a prescription for Advair, an asthma inhaler, when she finally lost her cool over the astronomical price of being uninsured. Because she works part-time at a retail store, …
health insurance
Medicare Sellers Are After Me!
After 23 years of covering — and giving advice about — Medicare, a veteran journalist wades into the system herself. Part 2 of a 5-part series.
10 Questions: What Makes a Pasta Worth $26? Do Health Insurers Owe You a Refund? What Is Money Anyway?
For thoughtful, insightful answers—or at least discussions with some funny comments—about these and other pressing consumer issues, here’s a roundup of recent posts and stories. The list even includes a special bonus question: What’s the difference between a collection and junk?
5 Health Care Stories That’ll Make You Sick
What is the state of competition in the health care marketplace? How likely (or unlikely) are people to follow doctor’s orders when said orders come with a hefty price tag? Why is the middle class the fastest growing group to not have health insurance? Read on for answers.
Top 10 Signs of a Troubled Economy and/or the Apocalypse
This is a gray area: When money is a problem, it can feel like the end of the world is near.
Playing with Percentages: Health Care in America
9% From June 2009 to March 2010—the heart of the health care debate—only 9% of media stories about health care reform actually “focused on a core issue — how our health care system currently functions, what works and what doesn’t,” according to a Pew Research study; the study says that 41% of health care stories were devoted to …
How to Get a Doctor’s Bill When You Don’t Go to the Doctor
Got health insurance? Good for you. But your insurance probably won’t cover a range of fees that some doctors now charge—including fees for filling out school forms, vague administrative fees of sometimes over $100 a year, and up to $50 if you have an appointment and don’t show up.
Ten Ways Health Insurance Companies Will Try to Weasel Out of Reform
By tweaking the kinds of plans they offer, making it more difficult to file claims, and going the old-fashioned route of raising premiums, health insurance companies can negate many of the health bill’s stipulations aimed to help consumers.
Health Care Spending Rose 5.7% Last Year
But health insurance premiums? They rose 10%, 15%, even 39%. So where is the money going?
39%
That’s how much health insurance rates will be hiked for many Anthem Blue Cross customers in California who buy individual policies. These same customers had their premium rates jacked up by around one-third last year as well. And the final kick in the balls: The folks affected have been told to expect their rates to increase more …
How Going to a Chiropractor Can Increase Your Health Insurance Premiums
Visiting a chiropractor for a routine adjustment might be viewed by your insurer as a sign of some “underlying medical condition,” and give justification for jacking up your rates by as much as 25%.
Is there good insurance for freelancers?
I can’t quit my job. One big reason is that I can’t afford health insurance on my own. (Another is that I need an income, and I can’t lift heavy objects.) So I was intrigued when I learned a few years ago of the Freelancers Union, a New York-based group that offers health insurance among other things to solo practitioners. The idea is …
