Category: Health/Traditional Medicine

Recent survey finds that consumers, especially those with high deductible health plans, want more transparency in health care administration. More than half of consumers surveyed said that knowing what hospitals and doctors charge for specific treatments and exactly what insurers pay would influence where they seek care.

As U.S. consumers shoulder more of the cost of their health care, they demand more information about costs and quality of care, according to nearly two-thirds of U.S. consumers (64 percent) responding to a nationwide survey. Nearly 85 percent said they believe that hospitals and physicians should be required to disclose the cost of medical services to the public. And more than half said that knowing what hospitals and doctors charge for specific treatments and exactly what insurers pay would influence where they seek care.

Research released on Monday by Envision Solutions, LLC, a healthcare marketing communications consultancy, reveals that many are deeply skeptical of drug firms' motivations for supporting non-profit organizations. According to a nationwide online survey, 43% of US adults believe that pharmaceutical companies fund groups like the American Heart Association and the National Kidney Foundation in order to get more people to buy their products or medicines. The poll is featured in a new Envision Solutions report titled "Preserving the Power of Pharma-Non-Profit Cause Alliances."

WAUKESHA, Wis., Aug. 19, 2005 -- The following open letter is from former smoker Karen Schmidt Renzelmann:

It is possible to quit smoking. I know I've tried many times. Through my interest in astrology, I have read a book called New Moon Astrology (Bantam Dell Publishers) by Jan Spiller. The premise of this book is that it is possible to create positive change in a person's life utilizing the energy of the New Moon.

We all know how important it is to take responsibility for our health care needs. With stress levels rising higher and higher, it’s no wonder that we are under the gun, so to speak, when it comes to the many illnesses that can sneak up when we’re over-worked and exhausted. While it’s good to have a doctor whom we trust to go to for help, it’s also advisable to have a back up doctor not directly connected to our primary physician’s practice to consult for a second opinion.

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