Costs news and information

The first time Jeff Shellan got a cardiac stress test for his troubled heart, the retail price was $2,166. His insurance company agreed to a discounted price of $885, of which Shellan paid $364. When his doctor suggested a retest a year later, the charge was $8,078, the discounted rate was $3,755,...
FULL STORY »

Some restaurant operators are scaling back expansion plans because of uncertainty about the expense of insuring employees under the new federal healthcare law.
FULL STORY »

Regarding “Leap to ICD-11 not recommended: AMA board”: Our government is systematically decimating the practice of medicine in the U.S. It is past time to acknowledge the real costs and challenges of electronic documentation and the financial and physical toll our government has placed...
FULL STORY »

A new study is questioning the benefits of dual-chamber implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.
FULL STORY »

Republican governors backing an expansion of Medicaid continue to hit headwinds in those efforts, and it is unclear what lessons can be drawn from the outcomes experienced by two of their colleagues.
FULL STORY »

Hospitals hoping to attract patients and build goodwill are teaming up with medical-screening companies to promote tests they say might prevent deadly strokes or heart disease. What their promotions don't say is that an influential government panel recommends against many of the tests for people...
FULL STORY »

Cancer patients could face high costs for medications under President Barack Obama's healthcare law, industry analysts and advocates warn. Where you live could make a huge difference in what you'll pay.
FULL STORY »

Faced with declines in population and inpatient stays, Rhode Island can expect to see a costly surplus of hospital beds—the equivalent of a full hospital—in four years, according to a state health care council.
FULL STORY »

Last week's public unveiling of CMS' charges and reimbursements data for about 3,000 hospitals across the country painted an unflattering portrait of the dramatic and sometimes mystifying variation between hospitals treating similar patients in similar markets.
FULL STORY »

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals had a breakthrough year in 2012, and its top scientist, Dr. George Yancopoulos, led Modern Healthcare's list of the health industry's highest-paid execs for the year.
FULL STORY »