[Editor’s note: Medicare 2018 premium information released, November 20, 2017.] The July annual report of the Medicare Trustees to Congress on the financial state of the program shows no...
Diane Archer
Poor health coverage hurts U.S. living standards
Poor health coverage, among other factors, hurts U.S. living standards. While it’s true that the U.S. economy is expanding and the unemployment rate is low, household incomes have not grown for...
Long-term care insurance likely won’t deliver what you need
You may already know that seven in ten of us will eventually need some type of long-term care services and supports. But, you may not know that most people today receive that care at home and not in...
High drug prices in U.S. unrelated to lower prices abroad
A recent blog post on Health Affairs by Donald Light makes a compelling case that drug prices in other developed countries are generating profits for Pharma and that Pharma would continue its...
UnitedHealth charged with enrollment fraud
Fred Schulte of Kaiser Health News reports that UnitedHealth, the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans–commercial insurers expected to deliver Medicare benefits–has been hiding...
For some generics, little competition, big price hikes
Americans are taking a lot more generic drugs today than ever before. And, for the most part, they are spending a lot less for these generics than for their brand-name alternatives. But, market...
Drug importation could drive down price of generics
Generic drugs used to be synonymous with low prices, but lately drug shortages and price increases have driven up the price of many generic drugs. There are a range of market failures in the generic...
Hear better with over the counter hearing aids
New research published in JAMA finds that low-cost over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids may help more than 20 million people with mild to moderate hearing loss hear better. These hearing aids...
91-year old gymnast competes in Berlin
Some people are never too old to do handstands on the parallel bars and other knock-your-socks off gymnastics feats. Watch Johanna Quaas, a 91-year old gymnast, perform at a competition in Berlin...
Private health insurance drives up costs
Because of private health insurance, buying heath care services is unlike buying products on Amazon or through Airbnb. University of Massachusetts Amherst economist Gerald Friedman in an article for...