Is that surgery really worth it? Do I really value that cancer screening? Is that extra imaging service necessary?
These are the kinds of questions consumers ask themselves when their insurance plans require higher cost sharing for medical services. This is a new reality in the US health care system, as large employers offering coverage have moved aggressively toward less generous, high-deductible insurance offerings.
Standing up at work can be good for your health. That is the finding of recent research that links standing-based work to improved health outcomes. It follows numerous other studies that show how our sedentary work habits may be killing us.
Thailand’s current democratic crisis sits in stark contrast with its greatest achievement this century: universal health coverage. This achievement is also a prime example of the ideological disagreements on the value of populism in Thai politics.
In 2001, the government introduced ‘30 baht healthcare’, a comprehensive government funded scheme that provided extended health coverage to all citizens. Compared to other countries with similar levels of development, establishing universal healthcare coverage in Thailand was a serious accomplishment.
Recently, Bupa, Britain’s largest company for private healthcare, announced to the BBC that they believe they are charging their own customers far too much for care, and that the industry should be encouraged to think urgently about how they set their prices. A Bupa senior executive claimed that he thought costs should be cut by around 15% across the whole of Britain’s private healthcare sector, and Dr. Damien Marmion, the managing director of insurance in Bupa, UK, suggested that the sector was in danger of serious ‘decline’ if actions were not taken soon.
The US Supreme Court recently began deliberations in a case that will determine whether human genes may be patented. But we already know that permitting gene patents results in inefficiencies – including monopoly profits and a failure to maximize the use of knowledge – that impede the pace of innovation.
America is home to some of the world’s best hospitals and doctors, but it also has one of the most unaffordable healthcare systems. In fact, medical bankruptcies are on the rise and America desperately needs to fix its healthcare problems.
The cost of healthcare is rising, making it one of the fastest growing markets in the United States. But is that necessarily a good thing? To put things in perspective, Americans spend an average of $8,233 on healthcare annually, almost twice the amount its Canadian neighbours pay in a year. Is this acceptable? You decide.
The pharmaceutical industry today is a broken intellectual-property regime, which holds back on the development and availability of cheap drugs for the sake of profit maximisation. But it doesn’t have to be this way. An international effort by the World Health Organisation may now represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to remedy a long-standing and egregious inequity in health care.
Thousands of drug capsules filled with powdered flesh from dead babies are being smuggled into South Korea from China every year, said a report by the BBC on Monday, as customs officials attempt to curb the illegal trade by increasing inspections on all drug shipments.
Since August 2011, Korea Customs Service has confiscated almost 17,500 of the capsules being smuggled from China, with the “drug” said to be a panacea for all sorts of diseases, as well as a renowned stamina booster.
A staggering $87.1 billion is taken out of the US economy every year as a result of the flu season, as people who fall ill are unable to attend work and are forced to receive medical treatment for their ailment.
In addition, up to 15 percent of the world’s population is infected with the flu each year, with the illness affecting the finances of individuals, businesses and the general economy.
A new law, part of Obama’s healthcare reform legislation, will require drug companies to disclose the amount of payments made to doctors not under their employment. According to U.S. officials, this includes payments made to doctors for research, consulting, speaking, travelling and entertainment.
According to a report published by the New York Times, a large number of doctors are receiving payments from drug companies, in exchange for providing advice and giving lectures. Other non-standard gifts include gifts of food.
