- Studies: hugs are good for you.
- Regular mammograms identify 87% of breast cancers. AI programs can boost that detection rate by 20%, and the cost is $40 – $100 extra. Is that worth it?
- Study: There is no evidence that buying and then forgiving medical debts that are in collections improved on average beneficiaries’ finances, access to credit, or their physical or mental health. People were even less likely to pay existing medical bills after their debt was eliminated.
- PFAS are called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down for thousands of years, if at all. Turns out, they are everywhere, including our drinking water, and that could be hazardous to our health.
- The FDA has approved a test that predicts a patient’s risk of becoming addicted to opioids. Why is that controversial?
Category: Health Insurance
Study: Medical Debt Forgiveness Makes Little Difference in Quality of Life
A decade ago a friend had some medical tests done at a hospital outpatient clinic. It was something simple, an X-ray and a blood or urine test. The hospital business office assured her that the care would be covered by her health plan. Months later a debt collector called demanding more than $700 for an outstanding medical bill. My friend had no recollection of having ever received a bill. The debt collector said he worked for the hospital, but when asked for a copy of the bill he could not provide one.
Tuesday Links
- Is there a Trump health plan?
- Can a smart phone cure your depression?
- A Hayekian approach to health care. But why was she working in the Obama administration?
- JAMA study: 41% of cancer drugs granted accelerated approval did not improve overall survival or quality of life.
Brookings: Out-of-Network Doctors Winning Arbitration Cases 75% of the Time, Boosting Fees
The No Surprises Act has a dispute resolution mechanism to decide compensation for physicians who treat patients with whom they have no network affiliation. After treating insured patients, physicians and other providers bill health insurers, who pay, decline to pay or pay a reduced fee. If a physician believes the fees paid are too low, they have the option of taking the case to an independent dispute resolution (IDR) board for a fee.