Welcome to BenefitsPRO weekly roundup! Catch up with some of this week's headlines that we didn't cover.
The wealthy stay healthy
In a column for Forbes, Russ Alan Prince tackles the growing health care divide. Things like medical tourism and biomarker technology for preemptive treatment come with a high price tag, Prince notes, and because of that, are often reserved for people with fat wallets. Now, the gap between the wealthy and not-so-wealthy isn't just about money, but also about longevity and overall health. As it stands, fierce battles are being waged over universal coverage and the cost of health care is only going up — does this leave us with another classist division or an opportunity for change? Will the divide continue to grow or will we build a bridge? Sound off in the comments.
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"Mom, does this look weird?"
While the uninsured rate for millennials has fallen to 11 percent, an all-time low for the generation, many still rely on their moms to help understand health information. A new survey from Transamerica Center for Health Studies says 64 percent look to Mom for insight on health. I don't often agree with studies on millennials — I've been to North Dakota, and I'm not sure if it's my top destination choice — but this one rings a little too true. I use my mom as my own personal WebMD, mostly because she is less likely to suggest a brain tumor is the root cause of a headache, which is a nice reprieve.
Wasting time on the company dime
A survey done by Lab42 says many American employees are spending time at their desks trying to make medical decisions. In fact, 72 percent of 1,000 people surveyed said they spent work time researching a health issue for themselves or a family member. Unfortunately, I'm in this camp (*Googles "can loose cavity fillings cause jawbone deterioration?" and holds breath anxiously*), but not to the extent of those polled. The average worker spent six hours of his or her day researching medical decisions. Why all of the legwork? Apparently one in five respondents doesn't believe the information his or her doctor provides, and 42 percent say they personally lacked the necessary knowledge to make an important medical decision in the past.
Medicaid expansion, debt consolidation
Research done by the Federal Reserve Bank on New York says the Affordable Care Act is doing its job by cutting debt in Medicaid expansion states. Bloomberg reports that states that had a high uninsured rate leading up to ACA's implementation are now seeing a lower per capita collection balance if the state expanded Medicaid. For those states that opted out of the expansion, well, the collection balance keeps creeping up.
Blue Shield blunder
The LA Times reports that one patient, Caroline, had routine bloodwork done at Torrance Memorial Medical Center. The hospital billed Caroline's provider, Blue Shield of California, $408. Yet, when push came to shove, Caroline was responsible for over half that amount. Confused about the high cost of simple tests, Caroline called the hospital and was told if she had paid cash, her bill would've been $15 per blood test, not the $80 she was billed. According to Gerald Kominski, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, "This is one of the dirty little secrets of healthcare." When Blue Shield was contacted about the discrepancy in pricing, they declined to comment. Moral of the story: Treat health care like filling your tank — toss the credit card, pay cash, and still feel like you're getting a little ripped off.
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