Articles Tagged with ''health care costs''

The American Public Health Association is voicing strong opposition to the budget agreement passed earlier this month by the U.S. House of Representatives. The measure would slash funding for programs across the public health continuum — from efforts that prevent disease outbreaks to those that train health workers — and repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Medicare spent $4.5 billion last year on new, pricey medications that cure the liver disease hepatitis C — more than 15 times what it spent the year before on older treatments for the disease, previously undisclosed federal data shows.

When it comes to healthcare, preventive measures are just as important, if not more so, than curative ones. Telemedicine and remote monitoring are ways in which technology has enabled us to help keep people’s chronic health conditions stable and to provide patients with better quality of life.

Asthma, back pain, and congestive heart failure are among the conditions showing reductions in health care costs in one large employer's disease management (DM) program, reports a study in the February Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation has developed an online resource that provides businesses and employees with access to resources and information to help improve workforce health and safety, attract and retain high-performing employees and minimize healthcare costs.

Home blood pressure-monitoring kits can save insurance companies money by improving healthcare quality and reducing healthcare costs, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Hypertension. In the United States, more than 76 million adults have diagnosed high blood pressure, and many more are undiagnosed.

Amanda smoked during pregnancy. Her baby was born two months early and then spent weeks in an incubator.  Brett lost most of his teeth to gum disease by age 42. Shawn, 50, breathes through the opening in his throat due to smoking-related throat cancer.

 U.S. cancer survivors face significant economic burdens due to growing medical costs, missed work, and reduced productivity, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Workers who perform safety-sensitive jobs, like operating motor vehicles, forklifts, cranes, or other heavy equipment, should not be prescribed opioids for treatment of chronic or acute pain.

The cost of surgery for the amputation of a ring finger can range from $20,000 to $60,000 for a person who may not have insurance. This cost covers the surgeon's fees, facility fees, hospital stay, anesthetics, and medical supplies.