Consumer Health Ratings Your Guide to Quality and Cost
- Who is Most At Risk for a Bad Case of Coronavirus?by Gretchen Dahlen on July 9, 2020 at 5:09 pm
Most people know by now that the risk of severe illness from the coronavirus rises with age. But is it only the elderly who are most at risk for a bad case of coronavirus? No, it’s not. Those […]
- Medicare Hospital Fund Runs Out in 2026 – Or Soonerby Gretchen Dahlen on April 24, 2020 at 1:23 am
The future of Medicare is still in jeopardy. The hospital fund, known as Part A Medicare, will be depleted by 2026 according to a new report. The annual Medicare Board of Trustees sent its 2020 […]
- Five Concepts to Fight Coronavirusby Gretchen Dahlen on April 18, 2020 at 10:57 pm
It’s hard to believe that less than six weeks have passed since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus pandemic. We have survived the shock of hospitals as war zones, a tent […]
- Consumer Health Ratings President and CEO Appointed to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) National Advisory Councilby admin on April 18, 2020 at 9:36 pm
Gretchen M. Dahlen, president and chief executive officer of Consumer Health Ratings, has been named to the National Advisory Council for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). New […]
- 2020 Health Insurance Cost and Quality Ratingsby Gretchen Dahlen on September 12, 2019 at 8:29 pm
Last year, health insurance for a single person in the US private sector cost $6,715 on average. Annual open enrollment is nearly here for 2020. Now is a good time to gather your research on both […]
- The $2 Million Drug: Rare Disease Drug Pricesby Gretchen Dahlen on August 21, 2019 at 4:14 pm
The $2 million wonder drug is called Zolgensma. It’s made for infants and kids up to age 2 who have spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The rare disease is inherited. The new gene therapy drug can […]
- Mourning Neil Armstrong: Healthcare’s Test Pilotby Gretchen Dahlen on July 31, 2019 at 3:17 am
We had just finished celebrating the 50-year anniversary of man’s landing on the moon. When abruptly, troubling news appeared that famed astronaut Neil Armstrong may have died from hospital […]
- How Fast Is the Hospital ER Near Me?by Gretchen Dahlen on February 9, 2019 at 11:26 pm
Speed is probably the first thing you think of, if you need an Emergency Room. Should consumers be concerned about ER waiting time at their nearby hospital’s Emergency Department? Check the […]
- Hacienda Board of Directors: Time to Leave?by Gretchen Dahlen on February 1, 2019 at 6:14 pm
Based on DNA evidence, a male LPN was arrested Jan. 23 and charged with sexual assault and abuse of a vulnerable adult who resided at Hacienda HealthCare in Phoenix. He allegedly raped and […]
- How Much Does an ER Visit Cost?by Gretchen Dahlen on January 9, 2019 at 6:00 pm
The short answer is a lot. The average cost for people visiting the Emergency Room in 2014 was $1533, up 7.7% from 2013. The median “typical” cost was $749 per person. If you bring that […]
Kaiser Health News
- Becerra Says Surprise Billing Rules Force Doctors Who Overcharge to Accept Fair Pricesby Michael McAuliff on November 22, 2021 at 4:30 pm
The Health and Human Services secretary says the administration has heard complaints from doctors and hospitals about the rules it unveiled for implementing the law to end surprise medical bills. But he says providers who have exploited a complicated system to charge exorbitant rates will have to bear their share of the cost — or close.
- ‘An Arm and a Leg’: The Insurance Warrior’s Battle Planby Dan Weissmann on November 22, 2021 at 10:00 am
Health care — and how much it costs — is scary. But knowledge is power. Take a master class in winning insurance appeals. In the case of Matthew Lientz, taking on his insurance also meant going up against his employer.
- Why You Can’t Find Cheap At-Home Covid Testsby Rachana Pradhan and Hannah Norman, Kaiser Health News on November 22, 2021 at 10:00 am
You probably won’t be testing everyone at your Thanksgiving table for covid because the tests are expensive and hard to find. Why? The federal government is partly to blame.
- The ER Charged Him $6,500 for Six Stitches. No Wonder His Critically Ill Wife Avoided the ER.by Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio on November 19, 2021 at 10:00 am
With few options for health care in their rural community, a Tennessee couple’s experience with one outrageous bill could have led to a deadly decision the next time they needed help.
- KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Boosting Confusionon November 18, 2021 at 8:00 pm
Federal health officials appear poised to extend a recommendation for covid boosters to all adults, following moves by some governors and mayors to broaden the eligible booster pool as caseloads rise. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration finally has a nominee to head the agency: former FDA chief Robert Califf. And Medicare premiums for consumers will likely rise substantially in 2022, partly due to the approval of a controversial drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Tami Luhby of CNN, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dan Weissmann, host of the “An Arm and a Leg” podcast.