More Than a Quarter of Prescription Takers Cut Corners to Save Money by Katherine Hobson
More than a quarter of Americans who take prescription drugs have skipped doses, split pills or cut other corners to save money in the last year, according to a new study by Consumer Reports.  The WSJ has written that U.S. consumers are cutting back on their use of health-care services, which is likely due to the state of the economy but may also reflect a more lingering trend as consumers pick up a bigger percentage of their medical costs.  Read More...

Impact of Disparities on Access and Quality of Cancer Care by John Geyman
Disparities within the U. S. health care system result in serious impacts on access to care for patients with cancer at all stages from screening and prevention to treatment and survival. Access barriers further lead to disparities in the quality of care received.These concerns led the American Cancer Society to launch a national effort in 2007 calling for system reform that will provide "4 As coverage": Read More...

Recession Causing Cancer Patients to Quit Life-Extending Drugs by Amanda Gardner
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 4 (HealthDay News) -- In 2009 and 2010, as the economic collapse shuddered across the globe, oncologists in California noticed a troubling trend: Three patients who had had serious tumors under control for as long as eight years reappeared in the clinic with massive cancer regrowth which, in one case, required emergency surgery.  In retrospect, this downturn in fortunes should have been predictable: The economic recession had forced the patients to discontinue a life-extending medication.  Read More...

25 Million Americans Are "Underinsured" by Steven Reinberg
TUESDAY, June 10 (HealthDay News) -- The number of American adults who had inadequate health insurance to cover their medical expenses rose 60 percent from 2003 to 2007, from 16 million to more than 25 million people. Hardest hit were families with middle and higher incomes, those whose income was 200 percent above the federal poverty level or those with an annual income of $40,000 or more, a new report by The Commonwealth Fund found.  Read More...

Issues Facing America: Underinsured Patients by Ryan M. Nunley, MD
Although many people can define the term “uninsured,” not as many know what “underinsured” means. Underinsured people have some form of health insurance, but lack the financial protection needed to cover out-of-pocket medical care expenses.  Read More...

Addressing Underinsurance in National Health Reform by Grace-Marie Turner
There is little debate about the need to make sure that all Americans have the security of insurance that protects them from medical bills they can’t afford and that provides them access to the care they need.  But no part of the health sector, and no one goal, can be considered in isolation from the impact it will have on other goals and aspects of health care and coverage.  Read More...

Underinsured Americans: Cost to You by Parija B. Kavilanz
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Americans already shouldering the cost of millions of people without health insurance should brace for a double-whammy: a surge in the number of the "underinsured," or consumers who have some but not enough coverage.  The problem, according to health care industry experts, is that the government and those with employer-based plans will have to pick up the tab as more Americans are unable to pay their entire medical bill.   Read More...

Specialty Medicines Led Rebound in U.S. Drug Approvals in 2008 by Justin Blum
Jan. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Medicines for rare disorders and diagnosing diseases contributed to a jump in U.S. drug approvals last year from a quarter-century low in 2007.  The Food and Drug Administration cleared 25 novel treatments in 2008, up from 19 the previous year, for the most since 2004. Approvals through November were listed on the FDA Web site. Ira Loss, an analyst in Washington, tallied the rest. The list excludes reformulated drugs and those that have been previously approved for other uses.  Read More...

As Pills Treat Cancer, Insurance Lags Behind, By Andrew Pollack
Chuck Stauffer’s insurance covered the surgery to remove his brain tumor. It covered his brain scans. And it would have paid fully for tens of thousands of dollars of intravenous chemotherapy at a doctor’s office or hospital. But his insurance covered hardly any of the cost of the cancer pills the doctor prescribed for him to take at home. Mr. Stauffer, a 62-year-old Oregon farmer, had to pay $5,500 for the first 42-day supply of the drug, Temodar, and $1,700 a month after that.  Read More...

 Adversaries Team Up on Health Care Chris Frates
Two of the nation’s most influential health care adversaries are uniting to promote key portions of health care reform but leave unaddressed the debate’s most controversial element: the creation of a public insurance plan.  The consumer group Families USA and the trade association Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America are launching a multimillion-dollar lobbying campaign to push the package of reforms, which includes expanding Medicaid. The partnership could significantly reshape the debate over health care reform.  Read More...

Stressed Americans Postpone Healthcare By Maggie Fox, Edited by Peter Cooney
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Twenty percent of Americans say they have delayed or postponed medical care, mostly doctor visits, and many said cost was the main reason, according to a survey released on Monday.  The Thomson Reuters survey found 21 percent of U.S. adults expected to have difficulty paying for health insurance or healthcare services in the next three months.  Read More...