Search results for

Sutter Health, the most expensive health system in California, is expanding at a rapid pace and transforming itself into an "accountable care organization." Some worry about the nonprofit hospital's growing leverage.

The new health law may threaten the future of hundreds of thousands of health insurance brokers. But many brokers are convinced their services are worth the fees lawmakers have blamed for driving up health costs.

Just 48 hours after the Republican midterm victory, conservatives were debating whether it's better to try to change the law in the next Congress or lay the groundwork for 2012 when they could pursue a takeover of the Senate and White House.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a likely GOP contender for the White House in 2012, filed a brief supporting a challenge to the overhaul in a Florida court. It could be a preview of his stump speech.

An analysis of Medicare data finds many cancer patients are getting aggressive care toward the end of life. The intensive approach might not be best for them and adds to the drain on Medicare's budget.

A look at eight areas of the U.S. finds that some high-priced hospitals are getting the upper hand with insurers. San Francisco's average inpatient payment rate was more than twice the rate for Medicare.

Insurance companies often are blamed for rising health costs, but hospitals also play a role. One California health care chain has so much clout that it dictates what insurance companies pay for its services.

Too many nonprofit hospitals fail to adequately publicize their charity-care programs, two advocacy groups say in a survey report released today.

Expert on aging Jim Firman, president of the National Council on Aging, says a program established by the new health law may help meet seniors' needs and keep them in their homes.

Health policy experts hope that technology will become a tool for educating doctors about the cost of care. More widespread use of electronic medical records, they say, will help keep costs in check by providing doctors with precise information on the price of tests and drugs even as they are deciding what to order.