Michelle Andrews – Page 4

Long-term disability insurance gets little attention but can pay off big time

June 1, 2018 at 8:19 p.m.

"It won't happen to me." Maybe that sentiment explains consumers' attitude toward long-term disability insurance, which pays a portion of your income if you are unable to work. Sixty-five percent...

Despite a boost in Social Security, rising Medicare costs can leave seniors in a bind.

Social Security giveth, medical costs taketh away

June 1, 2018 at 9:43 p.m.

Retirees spent on average more than a third of their Social Security benefits on out-of-pocket medical costs in 2014, according to a recent study. Even after factoring in other sources...

Out-of-pocket costs often keep pricey new cholesterol drugs out of reach

June 1, 2018 at 11:37 p.m.

Access to powerful new cholesterol-lowering drugs is so tightly controlled and patients' out-of-pocket costs are so high that fewer than a third of people whose doctors prescribe the drugs get...

Hearing aids that can cost more than $2,000 apiece are only slightly more effective than some over-the-counter sound-amplification devices that sell for just a few hundred dollars, according to a recent study.

Over-the-counter devices hold their own against costly hearing aids

June 3, 2018 at 3:07 a.m.

Hearing aids that can cost more than $2,000 apiece are only slightly more effective than some over-the-counter sound-amplification devices that sell for just a few hundred dollars, according to a...

Urgent care for cancer patients helps them avoid risky and expensive ER visits

June 4, 2018 at 10:27 p.m.

One afternoon a few weeks ago, Faithe Craig noticed that her temperature had spiked to just above 100 degrees. For most people, that might not be cause for alarm, but...

Health care providers and insurers don't agree on whether women should go through counseling with a genetic conselor before genetic testing for breast cancer.

Insurers may insist on counseling before genetic tests for breast cancer

June 14, 2018 at 5:41 a.m.

Health care providers and insurers agree that it's in everyone's best interest to refer women for genetic testing if their family history of breast or ovarian cancer puts them at...

The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) established rules to protect the privacy of patients' health information and set standards for hospitals, doctors, insurers and others to share health care information.

Patient privacy isn’t always good medicine

June 10, 2018 at 12:37 p.m.

When Sean Meyers was in a car accident on a November evening three years ago, he was flown by air ambulance to the emergency department at Inova Fairfax Hospital in...

More free medical clinics are expanding their mission to serve not just the uninsured, but the underinsured.

Free clinics expand mission to help insured patients

June 8, 2018 at 1:51 p.m.

Denise Johnson works two jobs, but neither of them offers health insurance to part-timers like her. She signed up for a marketplace plan this year, but for routine medical care,...

Medicare recipients in urban areas may be able to save money on prescription drugs this year because they have better access to certain pharmacies.

Urban Medicare beneficiaries could see more drug savings this year

June 11, 2018 at 4:40 a.m.

Medicare beneficiaries who live in urban areas may save money on their prescription drugs this year because they now have better access to pharmacies in drug plan networks that charge...

Understanding health exchanges

August 19, 2019 at 2:25 a.m.

As the state health insurance marketplaces, also called exchanges, get set to launch in October, many people have questions about the coverage that will be offered. Here are a few...

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