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Physician Practices' Interactions With Plans Cost $31 Billion Annually
As policymakers consider ways to cut health costs as a part of health reform, a new national survey of physician practices finds that physicians on average are spending the equivalent of three work weeks annually on administrative tasks required by health plans. According to the study published May 14 on the Health Affairs Web site by Lawrence P. Casalino of Weill Cornell Medical College and colleagues, physician practices report that overall the costs of interacting with insurance plans is $31 billion annually and 6.9 percent of all U.S. expenditures for physician and clinical services.
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Protecting The Value Of Long-Term Care Insurance
Today, U.S. Senators Mel Martinez (R-FL) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) of the Special Committee on Aging examined the long-term care insurance industry. The high cost of long-term care and the current economic instability are creating significant financial planning challenges for baby-boomers, seniors, and individual states. The committee discussed the industry"s current limitations and how to prepare for the growing number of seniors who will be in need of long-term care.
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Salmonella And E. Coli Bacteria Found In Packets Of Shelled Nuts
A recent study carried out by the Health Protection Agency and LACORS (Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services) has revealed the presence of Salmonella and E. coli bacteria in a small number of samples of ready-to-eat shelled nuts.
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Nearly 1.4 Million Tennesseans Are In Families That Will Spend More Than 10 Percent Of Their Income On Health Care In 2009

A report released by the consumer health organization Families USA spotlights a growing crisis among insured families, as rising health care costs devour a growing portion of their pre-tax income. In the United States, 64.4 million people under age 65 are in families that will spend more than 10 percent of their pre-tax family income on health care in 2009, and 82.6 percent of those people are insured, an increase of 22.7 million such people since 2000. In Tennessee alone, 1,360,000 people under age 65 are in families that will spend more than 10 percent of their pre-tax family income on health care in 2009, and 82.8 percent of those Tennessee families have insurance. In addition, there are 424,000 Tennesseans in families that will spend more than 25 percent of their pre-tax income on health care in 2009. "As our findings make clear, high health care costs are not just a problem of the uninsured," Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA, said today. "More and more families with insurance are affected by rising health care costs, and, for many, the burden of these costs is becoming too great to bear." That this problem is affecting more and more families is an essential element of this 2009 report, an update of a 2007 Families USA report that was the first of its kind to document these costs on a state-specific basis. The report shows that the number of insured people in families paying 10 or 25 percent of their pre-tax income on health care has climbed dramatically in Tennessee, a symptom of the runaway costs plaguing the U.S. health care system. The report reveals: - 1,360,000 non-elderly Tennesseans are in families that will spend more than 10 percent of their pre-tax income on health care in 2009. - Between 2000 and 2009, the number of people in families spending more than 10 percent of their pre-tax income on health care will have increased by 510,000, or 59.9 percent. - More than four out of five people (82.8 percent) in families spending more than 10 percent of their pre-tax income on health care are insured. - 1,126,000 non-elderly Tennesseans with insurance are in families that will spend more than 10 percent of their pre-tax income on health care in 2009. The report also looks at the number of people in families that spend more than 25 percent of their pre-tax income on health care: - 424,000 Tennesseans are in families that will spend more than 25 percent of their pre-tax income on health care in 2009. - Between 2000 and 2009, the number of people in families spending more than 25 percent of their pre-tax income on health care will have increased by 164,000 or 63.1 percent. - More than three out of four people (76.9 percent) in families spending more than 25 percent of their pre-tax income on health care are insured. - 326,000 Tennesseans with insurance are in families that will spend more than 25 percent of their pre-tax income on health care in 2009. As the Families USA report demonstrates, hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans are in families that face high health care costs. A number of factors have driven this phenomenon. First and foremost, health insurance premiums are increasing. As premiums rise, employers are forced to make tough decisions, particularly in this recession, about the coverage they offer to their employees. Some drop coverage, others increase the share of the premium that employees must pay, and more offer insurance that covers fewer services and/or requires high out-of-pocket costs. As a result, Tennessee families must shoulder a greater portion of health care costs. "Tennessee families are hit hard in the wallet because of skyrocketing health costs," Pollack said. "As a result, Tennesseans are spending much larger portions of their family incomes on health care-and health care is becoming less and less affordable. "The growing burden of health care costs on Tennessee families is a clear signal that health care reform is overdue," Pollack said. Families USA


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