Price of snakebite drugs still sky-high
Consumer Corner August 10, 2019 0
About 20 years ago, the snake antivenin CroFab entered the market and dramatically reduced the adverse reactions associated with treatment, Dr. Steven Curry says. But the drug came with a sky-high price tag. In one case reported by NPR and Kaiser Health News, an Indiana hospital last summer charged nearly $68,000... Read more
These policymakers agree on the need to take patients out of the middle of the fight over charges, but crafting a legislative solution will not be easy. Read more
How well do workplace wellness programs work?
Consumer Corner April 16, 2019 0
Workplace wellness programs — efforts to get workers to lose weight, eat better, stress less and sleep more — are an $8 billion industry in the U.S. Most large employers offer some type of wellness program, with growth fueled by incentives in the federal Affordable Care Act. But no one... Read more
Many buyers of ACA plans finding lower prices, more choice
Consumer Corner November 23, 2018 0
In recent years, some cities, including Memphis and Phoenix, withered into health insurance wastelands, as insurers fled and premiums skyrocketed in the insurance marketplaces that were set up under the Affordable Care Act. But today, as in many parts of the U.S., these two cities are experiencing something unprecedented:... Read more
The $48,000 allergy test — a lot of scratch
Consumer Corner November 3, 2018 0
Janet Winston’s Stanford-affiliated doctor had warned her that the extensive allergy skin-patch testing she needed might be expensive, Winston said, but she wasn’t too worried. After all, Stanford was an in-network provider for her insurer — and her insurance, one of her benefits as an employee of the state... Read more