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Health / Medical Insurance News *

U.S. Census Bureau Releases New Figures On The Uninsured

"Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007," U.S. Census Bureau: The Census Bureau on Tuesday released findings from the Current Population Survey that show both the percentage and number of U.S. residents without health insurance decreased in 2007. The percentage of U.S residents without health insurance was 15.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans Consider Consolidation Amid Tightening Managed-Care Market

Some Blue Cross Blue Shield not-for-profit organizations are considering either merging or converting to for-profit status to help them compete with larger insurers in an "increasingly concentrated managed-care industry," the Wall Street Journal reports.

Uninsured U.S. Residents Will Spend $30B Out-of-Pocket On Health Care This Year, While Receiving $56B In Uncompensated Care, Study Finds

Uninsured U.S. residents will spend about $30 billion out-of-pocket on health care this year, while other parties -- mainly the government -- will spend about $56 billion on uncompensated care for the uninsured, according to a study published online Monday in the journal Health Affairs, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Health Care Costs Reduced By California Tobacco Control Program

Tobacco control programs can reduce smoking, and when successful, they reduce personal health care costs, according to a study released on August 25, 2008 in the open-access journal PLoS Medicine. The study specifically tracks the California Tobacco Control Program, which was established in 1989 with the goal of changing social norms surrounding tobacco use.

Surgical Services Should Be A Global Public Health Priority, Say PLoS Editors

Five major reasons why universal surgical services should be considered a public health priority were published by the editors of PLoS Medicine in a piece released on August 25, 2008. They define surgical conditions as any situations that require suture, incision, excision, manipulation, or any invasive procedures, usually with the influence of anesthesia.

NPR's 'Morning Edition' Looks At Proposals By Major Presidential Candidates To Limit Health Care Spending

NPR's "Morning Edition" on Friday looked at proposals by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) to limit health care costs.

Medical Debt Or Problems Paying Medical Bills Experienced By 79 Million US Adults

The high cost of care and inadequate insurance is leading more adults to delay or avoid getting treatment. Working-age Americans are spending more of their income on out-of-pocket costs. The proportion of working-age Americans who have medical bill problems or who are paying off medical debt climbed from 34 percent to 41 percent between 2005 and 2007, bringing the total to 72 million, according to recent survey findings from the Commonwealth Fund.

Chicago Tribune Examines How Health Care Is Playing In Presidential Election, Among Voters

Both presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) and presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) have announced "detailed -- but very different -- health care plans," the

Tennessean Editorial, Opinion Piece Discuss Proposals To Change Health Care System

The Tennessean on Thursday published an editorial and an opinion piece that addressed health care reform. Summaries appear below. Tennessean: A "highly informative"