http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (AP) -- President Barack Obama says he's open to requiring all Americans to buy health insurance, as long as the plan provides a "hardship waiver" to exempt poor people from having to pay. http://www.physorg.com/news163271156.html Medicine & Health Thu, 04 Jun 2009 05:47:08 EST news163271156 More than a decade after Harvard researchers first revealed that life and health insurance companies were major investors in tobacco stocks - prompting calls upon them to divest - the insurance industry has yet to kick the habit, they say. http://www.physorg.com/news163270429.html Medicine & Health Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:54:33 EST news163270429 Biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) such as adalimumab, etanercept and infliximab are effective at reducing symptoms and slowing progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). These drugs act more quickly, require less laboratory monitoring, and are better tolerated than nonbiologic DMARDs, but they are also up to 100 times more expensive. Insurance plans differ greatly in their coverage of and cost sharing for biologic DMARDs, sometimes shifting a large portion of the cost of patients. A new study examined the cost-sharing structures for biologic DMARDs in Part D plans and the resulting cost burden to patients. The study was published in the June issue of Arthritis Care & Research. http://www.physorg.com/news163101659.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:01:28 EST news163101659 (AP) -- Laid off from her job in Massachusetts, Danielle Marks thought immediately about losing her health insurance. How could she afford the medication and physical therapy she needed to heal after shoulder surgery? http://www.physorg.com/news162738504.html Medicine & Health Thu, 28 May 2009 14:08:56 EST news162738504 (AP) -- The average family with health insurance shells out an extra $1,000 a year in premiums to pay for health care for the uninsured, a new report finds. http://www.physorg.com/news162708941.html Medicine & Health Thu, 28 May 2009 05:56:13 EST news162708941 NJIT finance professor Michael Ehrlich predicts that the strong profits reported by banks in the first quarter will soon be followed by more losses. Ehrlich, a market failure expert, notes that the unexpectedly strong profits reported in the first quarter by many large banks were the result of significant accounting manipulation. For some of the banks, these earnings were a crucial addition to their net equity positions at a time when government "stress tests" were evaluating their future viability. With more losses, serious pressure could mount on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which, of course, insures bank deposits. http://www.physorg.com/news162664357.html Other Sciences Wed, 27 May 2009 17:33:20 EST news162664357 Financial contracts to care for sick or aging relatives - nearly unthinkable just a decade ago - are drawing new interest as everyday Americans wrestle with the time and expense of providing long-term health care, a University of Illinois legal expert says. http://www.physorg.com/news162650583.html Medicine & Health Wed, 27 May 2009 13:43:29 EST news162650583 When a cancer patient and his or her doctor discuss the value of a treatment option, the conversation usually centers on a consideration of the treatment's medical benefits versus its possible side effects for the patient. Increasingly, however, as the already high costs of cancer care continue to rise, a full view of the patient's welfare must also take into account the economic impact of the treatment on the patient and his or her family. http://www.physorg.com/news162562367.html Medicine & Health Tue, 26 May 2009 13:13:17 EST news162562367 Despite the global recession and the crisis in the banking sector, consumer confidence in financial services remains intact, according to a report compiled for the Nottingham University Business School. http://www.physorg.com/news161959111.html Other Sciences Tue, 19 May 2009 13:39:12 EST news161959111 (AP) -- House Democrats are crafting a plan that would require all Americans to carry health insurance and would help families making less than $88,000 pay the premiums. Employers, too, would have to help foot the bill. http://www.physorg.com/news161535116.html Medicine & Health Thu, 14 May 2009 15:53:32 EST news161535116 (AP) -- Pfizer Inc. is unveiling a new program Thursday that will let people who have lost their jobs and health insurance keep taking some widely prescribed Pfizer medications - including Lipitor and Viagra - for free for up to a year. http://www.physorg.com/news161513490.html Medicine & Health Thu, 14 May 2009 09:51:58 EST news161513490 (AP) -- Look out Aetna, Humana and UnitedHealthcare. Senators are meeting behind closed doors to consider whether the federal government should jump into the health insurance business. http://www.physorg.com/news161505509.html Medicine & Health Thu, 14 May 2009 07:40:07 EST news161505509 (AP) -- Most people with job-based health insurance don't think of their benefits as a form of income. But Uncle Sam might just change that. http://www.physorg.com/news161409791.html Medicine & Health Wed, 13 May 2009 05:03:43 EST news161409791 (AP) -- President Barack Obama on Monday portrayed the health care industry's promise to cut $2 trillion in costs over 10 years as "a watershed event" in the long search for a solution to the millions of uninsured. http://www.physorg.com/news161275307.html Medicine & Health Mon, 11 May 2009 15:47:46 EST news161275307 Women are more likely than men to feel the pinch of rising health costs and eroding health benefits, with about half (52%) of working-age women reporting problems accessing needed care because of costs, compared to 39 percent of men, a new Commonwealth Fund study finds. Women who are insured but have inadequate coverage are especially vulnerable: 69 percent of underinsured women have problems accessing care because of costs, compared to half (49%) of underinsured men. http://www.physorg.com/news161244215.html Medicine & Health Mon, 11 May 2009 07:05:01 EST news161244215 (AP) -- When President Bill Clinton took on health care reform, industry leaders fought back, killing the White House proposal before it could gain any traction. http://www.physorg.com/news161243774.html Medicine & Health Mon, 11 May 2009 06:56:46 EST news161243774 (AP) -- President Barack Obama's plan to provide medical insurance for all Americans took a big step toward becoming reality Sunday after leaders of the health care industry offered $2 trillion in spending reductions over 10 years to help pay for the program. http://www.physorg.com/news161228767.html Medicine & Health Mon, 11 May 2009 02:46:58 EST news161228767 (AP) -- Patients and doctors. Small businesses and multinationals. Retirees, workers and insurance companies. http://www.physorg.com/news161142072.html Medicine & Health Sun, 10 May 2009 02:42:30 EST news161142072 (AP) -- Senators are considering three different designs for a new government health insurance plan that middle-income Americans could buy into for the first time, congressional officials said Friday. Officials familiar with the proposals said senators plan to debate them in a closed meeting next week. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the controversial plans have not been released. http://www.physorg.com/news161054303.html Medicine & Health Sat, 09 May 2009 02:19:03 EST news161054303 A new study has found that families in China face considerable economic hardship following stroke, and it is not uncommon for health care costs to push families below the poverty line. The large study shows over 70% of stroke survivors in China experience a catastrophic impact on their financial situation due to loss of income and cost of health care. http://www.physorg.com/news160924173.html Medicine & Health Thu, 07 May 2009 14:10:00 EST news160924173 (AP) -- The health insurance industry has offered to end its practice of charging higher premiums to women. http://www.physorg.com/news160766226.html Medicine & Health Tue, 05 May 2009 18:17:47 EST news160766226 A new report issued by The Access Project and Brandeis University found that the costs of dental care represent more of a financial burden on families and individuals than has been previously recognized. In a survey of family farm and ranch operators in seven Great Plains states, three-quarters of households reported having dental out-of-pocket costs. The report, The Cost of Dental Care and the Impact of Dental Insurance Coverage, found that families on average spent $873 out-of-pocket annually on dental care, exceeding their $700 average out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs. The amount spent on dental care constituted more than a quarter (27%) of families' overall out-of-pocket health care costs. http://www.physorg.com/news160223980.html Medicine & Health Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:40:08 EST news160223980 (AP) -- Wisconsin could become the first state requiring private insurance companies to cover cochlear implants for children with severe hearing problems. The state Legislature passed a bill Thursday requiring private health insurance plans to cover cochlear implants, hearing aids and related treatment for those under the age of 18. Gov. Jim Doyle has promised to sign it into law. http://www.physorg.com/news159728780.html Medicine & Health Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:07:03 EST news159728780 (AP) -- The Mayo Clinic has combined its medical expertise with Microsoft Corp.'s technology in a free Web site launching Tuesday that will let people store personal health and medical information. http://www.physorg.com/news159520234.html Medicine & Health Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:11:05 EST news159520234 http://www.physorg.com/news159019833.html Medicine & Health Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:11:06 EST news159019833 Trying to buy health insurance on your own and have gallstones? You'll automatically be denied coverage. Rheumatoid arthritis? Automatic denial. Severe acne? Probably denied. Do you take Metformin, a popular drug for diabetes? Denied. Use the anti-clotting drug Plavix or Seroquel, prescribed for anti-psychotic or sleep problems? Forget about it. http://www.physorg.com/news157657350.html Medicine & Health Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:42:53 EST news157657350 (AP) -- The health insurance industry offered Tuesday for the first time to curb its controversial practice of charging higher premiums to people with a history of medical problems. http://www.physorg.com/news157131957.html Medicine & Health Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:46:17 EST news157131957 Individuals with no or inconsistent health care coverage appear less likely to regularly seek eye care, even if they are visually impaired, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. http://www.physorg.com/news155844749.html Medicine & Health Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:13:14 EST news155844749 A growing trend toward higher Medicare premiums for the richest Americans could ultimately creep into the retirement income of less-wealthy seniors, a University of Illinois expert on federal health insurance warns. http://www.physorg.com/news155827130.html Medicine & Health Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:21:10 EST news155827130 Employees with previous work experience bring valuable knowledge and skills to their new jobs - but some of what they learned may actually hurt their work performance. http://www.physorg.com/news154615721.html Other Sciences Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:49:04 EST news154615721