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May 17, 2013 Even cancer patients with health insurance can face steep copayments for drugs, a sizable share of hospital bills and significant incidental expenses. So wouldn't it make sense for doctors and patients to talk about financial issues up front?

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May 8, 2013 In a first, Medicare has revealed how much individual hospitals bill and how much they are paid for common treatments. The charges vary widely. And while Medicare and private insurers generally pay far less than what hospitals request, the uninsured may pay something closer to these sticker prices.

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May 6, 2013 The growth in health spending has definitely slowed, according to several recent studies. Some reasons: the weak economy, a shift of costs to patients and fewer expensive technologies being introduced.

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February 11, 2013 When researchers asked hospitals how much a total hip replacement would cost a 62-year-old woman paying cash, a surprising number couldn't or wouldn't say. Health care could learn something from the car industry about working with consumers, critics say.

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November 6, 2012 KHNPeople with high blood sugar had medical expenses that were almost one-third higher than average, as did people with high blood pressure. But among common health problems, depression was linked to the highest spending increase.

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September 24, 2012 Public health considerations alone are not enough to justify banning the sale of large containers of soda. Commentator Alva Noë argues that the question at hand is one of the values we hold, not healthcare costs.

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September 11, 2012 Annual family health insurance premiums rose about 4 percent to an average of $15,745 this year, a new survey finds. While the increase is less than the one seen last year, it exceeds both inflation and wage gains.

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September 7, 2012 Nearly a third of spending on health care in the U.S. is wasted. There's lots of inefficiency, excess overhead and some outright fraud, too. But the biggest slice of the waste pie is unnecessary care.

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May 31, 2012 Among recent health care consumers, 16 percent said they'd looked for prices beforehand, compared with 11 percent who'd answered that way two years ago. The most common source is a doctor's office, cited by 50 percent of people who checked on prices.

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May 21, 2012 In 2010, health spending rose fastest among people 18 and under, according to an analysis of data from private insurers. It's just one finding made possible by a new database.

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April 17, 2012 KHNDental coverage often maxes out at a just few thousand dollars a year or less and typically covers only half of the cost of major procedures like crowns and root canals. So knowing what out-of-network dentists charge for their services may help save you a bundle.

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April 4, 2012 Seniors are traditionally the biggest consumers of prescription drugs, but they aren't using as many. Greater use of generics also played a role in last year's slow growth.

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March 19, 2012 With the Supreme Court poised to hear arguments about President Obama's health law next week, the time seemed ripe for looking at the economic stakes. The public sector is a big part of the American health care industry, which now accounts for 18 percent of the GDP.

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• One Nation, Two Health Care Extremes