“I’m sorry, our billing person is out for a few hours. You’ll have to call back,” said the administrator at the imaging lab. “Thank you for calling _____ Insurance. Our systems are down, please call back again later,” said the recording at the health insurance […]
Did you realize that healthcare costs have grown to command nearly 18% of the US gross domestic product? Yes! Like a cancer on our economy, healthcare costs are sucking us dry, folks. Aside from our never-ending wars, nothing is robbing our infrastructure and our future […]
When it comes to winning health care for the people, HEAL California believes victory will begin with a state-based system and end with federal legislation. There are countless examples of victories for human rights and personal freedoms that first occurred at the state level before being […]
In the first half of 2015, more than 350 mergers & acquisitions (M&As) took place in the healthcare industry. 346 of those occurred in the first quarter alone! Not all prices were publicly disclosed, but as of the end of March, disclosed deals were valued […]
A Westchester, CA mom expected to pay about $320 in co-pays and coinsurance when she took her son to a nearby hospital for an ankle injury, because she was very careful to go to a hospital that was in her insurance network. Imagine her surprise […]
Revolving Doors, Regulatory Capture and Healthcare Reform Do you ever wonder how it is that entire industries can act against the public interest but the government agencies established to regulate them go along with it? There are countless examples of this, like BP drilling in […]
Do you think that getting healthcare is similar to buying a commodity like, say, a couch? You shop around, comparing options and costs. Cloth? Leather? Sectional? Chesterfield? And then you buy one? Does this really happen with healthcare? In my experience, no. There are lots […]
A Bangor, Maine mom recently wrote about an Emergency Room visit with her young daughter. Her little girl had injured her lip, and was screaming and bleeding. Understandably alarmed, she took her to the Emergency Room. Thankfully, it wasn’t a big deal – her child […]
