Community Health Digest

11/15/09 - In New York, local program offers free cancer screenings for uninsured and underinsured

11/15/09 - In New York, local program offers free cancer screenings for uninsured and underinsured

Daily Freeman, dailyfreeman.com, Hudson Valley, New York

The Ulster County Cancer Services Program is the “best-kept secret in Ulster County,” according to program coordinator Lea Cassarino.

The program, funded by the state Department of Health and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, offers free screening for uninsured or underinsured women and men for early detection of a variety of cancers ...

11/8/09 - In Kansas, a hospital cuts rates for the uninsured and those with high deductibles, hoping to draw patients from all over

11/8/09 - In Kansas, a hospital cuts rates for the uninsured and those with high deductibles, hoping to draw patients from all over

The Wichita Eagle, kansas.com, Wichita, Kansas

In an effort to draw new customers, Galichia Heart Hospital is cutting rates for uninsured patients and those with high deductibles ...

11/6/09 - New Jersey medical professionals say number of uninsured women rising, fewer screened for breast cancer

11/6/09 - New Jersey medical professionals say number of uninsured women rising, fewer screened for breast cancer

The Star-Ledger, nj.com, New Jersey

Aretha Hill-Forte has seen some of the worst symptoms of breast cancer at her free clinic, which screens more patients than almost any hospital in the state ...

11/2/09 - For uninsured, big bills follow ER visits

11/2/09 - For uninsured, big bills follow ER visits

The News & Observer, newsobserver.com, Raleigh, NC

With her diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol under control, Gail Johnson expects to be around to see her grandchildren grow up. But the 56-year-old figures she'll die long before she's able to pay off her hospital bills ...

10/29/09 - Child deaths linked to lack of insurance

10/29/09 - Child deaths linked to lack of insurance

U.S. News & World Report, usnews.com

An estimated 17,000 children in the United States might have died unnecessarily over nearly two decades because they didn't have health insurance, according to a report from researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore ...

10/26/09 - In West Virginia, no insurance has free clinics seeing many in poorer health

10/26/09 - In West Virginia, no insurance has free clinics seeing many in poorer health

Bluefield Daily Telegraph, bdtonline.com, Bluefield-Princeton, West Virginia

Joblessness and lack of health insurance are sending more of West Virginia’s residents to free clinics not only for basic health care, but also for serious ailments normally treated by specialists ...

10/21/09 - Uninsured struggle to get specialized care

10/21/09 - Uninsured struggle to get specialized care

The Herald-Mail, herald-mail.com

Just before Kevin Coble’s mother died, she made her son promise her one thing.

“I had a knot on my neck,” said Coble, 28, of Hagerstown. “She made me promise that I’d go get it checked.”

That will have been two years ago in February, and following through on his promise has proved harder than Coble expected ...

10/15/09 -Individuals without health insurance at risk for 'financial catastrophe'

10/15/09 -Individuals without health insurance at risk for 'financial catastrophe'

Reuters, reuters.com

Americans without health insurance are one
major illness away from financial catastrophe, according to a new study. New
research by the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
suggests that uninsured individuals nearing retirement age who experience a
major health concern, such as heart disease, cancer or a stroke, can lose up
to half of their household assets in order to pay their medical expenses ...

10/13/09 - Employers remove ineligible dependents from health plans

10/13/09 - Employers remove ineligible dependents from health plans

The Washington Post, washingtonpost.com

Are your marriage certificate and your kids' birth certificates handy? You may need them to continue health coverage for your family or if you start a new job ...

10/9/09 - New Health Care Scorecard Finds Wide Differences In Access, Quality And Cost ...

10/9/09 New Health Care Scorecard Finds Wide Differences In Access, Quality And Cost ...

Science Daily (press release)

... to have higher rates of readmissions to the hospital and potentially preventable hospital admissions for chronic conditions like asthma and diabetes. ...

10/8/09 - Study finds health care varies from state to state

10/8/09 - Study finds health care varies from state to state

U.S. News & World Report, usnews.com

Want cheaper health care? Consider moving across the state line ...A new report finds that health-care costs, quality and the ability of people to access care vary widely, depending on where you live ... 

10/5/09 - Insuring the Near-Elderly: How Much Would Medicare Save?

10/5/09 Insuring the Near-Elderly: How Much Would Medicare Save?

Annals of Internal Medicine

These differences in medical expenditures between uninsured and insured adults are larger for people with diabetes, heart disease, or arthritis diagnosed by ...

10/3/09 - In Oregon, hospitals pile up unpaid bills while providing care to uninsured

10/3/09 - In Oregon, hospitals pile up unpaid bills while providing care to uninsured

The World, worldlink.com, Oregon

The Bay Area Hospital emergency room was relatively quiet Monday morning ...The scene would be much different come afternoon ... Anyone that asks for help at one of the South Coast’s hospitals will be seen by a doctor, but not everyone can pay ... 

9/28/09 - Use of federal health clinics soars

9/28/09 - Use of federal health clinics soars

The Wall Street Journal, online.wsj.com

Federally funded health centers, originally created to serve the poor, are seeing a surge of patients as more Americans struggle financially ...

9/22/09 - In New Jersey, Newark creating health plan for uninsured

9/22/09 - In New Jersey, Newark creating health plan for uninsured

philly.com, The Associated Press

Health care reform has come to New Jersey's largest city. 

Newark has enrolled 400 uninsured and underinsured residents in a pilot program that enables them to obtain routine medical care from family doctors ...

9/16/09 - Uninsured parents mean fewer checkups for kids

9/16/09 - Uninsured parents mean fewer checkups for kids

Reuters, reuters.com

Children whose parents lack health insurance may miss out on routine care, even when the children themselves are covered, a new study finds ...

9/15/09 - U.S. workers' health insurance costs double over decade

9/15/09 - U.S. workers' health insurance costs double over decade

Reuters, reuters.com

U.S. workers who have health insurance for their families through employers have seen premiums more than double in the last decade, according to a survey released on Tuesday ....

9/11/09 - Young adults a key to health care reform

9/11/09 Young adults a key to health care reform

Baltimore Sun

Scott suffers from asthma and eczema and said that while uninsured, she had to go to the emergency room four or five times a year for treatment. ...

9/10/09 - Census data show increase in number of uninsured in U.S. from 2007 to 2008

9/10/09 - Census data show increase in number of uninsured in U.S. from 2007 to 2008

Reuters, reuters.com

The number of people living in the United States without health insurance rose to 46.3 million in 2008 from 45.7 million a year earlier, a U.S. Census Bureau official said on Thursday ...

9/9/09 - The Young and the Uninsured

9/9/09 The Young and the Uninsured

Jackson Free Press - Adam Lynch 

She learned a few months ago that she suffers from Type 1 diabetes. She is a Holmes Junior College student and unemployed, with no federal or state health ...