Wellness

One of every seven cancer patients spends more than 20% of his income on health care and insurance, according to a new study from federal researchers.

One of the more contentious issues of last year’s health care reform debate, whether health insurance companies should be allowed to sell policies across state lines, was subject to a congressional hearing last week.

New steps to reduce premiums and make it easier for Americans to enroll in the federally administrated Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan risk pool were announced May 31 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

One of the more contentious issues of last year’s health care reform debate, whether health insurance companies should be allowed to sell policies across state lines, was subject to a congressional hearing last week.

Patients could obtain a list of everyone who has accessed their electronic medical record under a rule proposed Tuesday by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Premiums for new federal health insurance plans that cover high-risk people with pre-existing conditions will drop by as much as 40%, federal health regulators said Tuesday.

Employers nationwide - both big and small - are watching and waiting to see whether the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's state exchanges will succeed when they open for business in 2014. Small employers and those with low-paid or part-time employees are especially interested in finding out whether funneling their employees into an exchange or finding coverage for them through one would be beneficial.

At Rood & Dax Advanced Insurance Services in Sacramento, Laurie Rood and partner Gayle Dax approach client wellness plans by creating a comprehensive culture that uses both technology and personal interaction to foster a healthier, happier workplace. "Especially nowadays when people aren't willing to pay a lot of money for things, we have set a lot of our clients up with the idea that they are creating a wellness culture in which to operate to keep their employees happy and healthy and wanting to come to work," says Dax.

Over the last three months, I've questioned the validity of health risk assessments and the ability of biometric-screening data to powerfully track wellness program performance. This has prompted many readers to ask, "So what do you suggest instead?" If you think that tracking wellness program performance, return-on-investment and cause-and-effect is impossible, think again.

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. It was the day we announced that those who use tobacco will pay higher health plan premiums than their tobacco-free counterparts.