There are more than 78,000 Americans waiting for a kidney transplant, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Worse, the gap between the number of patients waiting and the number of kidney transplants performed has grown by 110% in the last decade.
Cutting the lengthy wait for a kidney will take more than innovative changes in medical practice, according to the National Kidney Foundation. As part of a new initiative unveiled in late January, Read the rest of this entry »

, Carmen initiated Jeanine, a California-based real estate agent who saw her income tank along with the housing market.
Jeanine was successful in her business – selling as much as $6 million worth of property in a single month back in early 2007 – until the housing bubble burst and took her job along with it. Now she is going on a full year since her last paycheck and is considering withdrawing from her 401(k) just to stay afloat. With four Read the rest of this entry »

But when the disease recurred last year, she had to quit her job because of the debilitating side effects of her new medications. With her income greatly reduced, she was forced to sell her Vacaville home. Franklin, who pays the monthly premium for her former employer’s health coverage along with high co-payments for drugs and care, has stopped adding up the costs.
“When you have cancer, you not only lose who you were – your body no longer looks Read the rest of this entry »

Magellan Health Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Fiscal 2009 Forecast Guidance – Income Statement
(In millions, except per share amounts)
Low High
Net revenue $ 2,475.0 $ 2,625.0
Cost and expenses:
Cost of care Read the rest of this entry »

Last March, Suleman filed bankruptcy, claiming nearly $1 million in liabilities — mostly because of a bad house investment, her attorney said. Countrywide Home Loans approved a $492,000 mortgage for Suleman in 2006 for a second home she bought in Whittier for $615,000. In 2008, the bank began foreclosure procedures. The house was sold in August for $369,375.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times on Thursday, Suleman said her daughter did Read the rest of this entry »

The international financial and home foreclosure crisis has not only made an impact on the wallets of families across the country it has also made a serious impact on their mental health and wellbeing. In order to address the growing problem Men’s Health Network is making available Your Head: An Owners Manual; Understanding and Overcoming Depression, Anxiety and Stress. Written by Armin Brott and a Medical Advisory Board, the manual addresses three Read the rest of this entry »

ALBANY – Twenty medical providers, including two in Westchester County, inappropriately waived out-of-pocket costs for patients, then submitted nearly $14 million in inflated claims to the state Health Insurance Program, a state audit released yesterday found.
Ambulatory Surgery Center of Westchester, in Mount Kisco, and Eye Surgery Center of Westchester, in New Rochelle, were listed as having total billing that was inflated. Ambulatory Surgery Read the rest of this entry »

Officials in the US state of Nebraska have received 18 ‘unwanted’ youths since July, including a 13-year-old boy whose mother drove for 12 hours from Michigan to take advantage of a ’safe-haven’ law preventing prosecution for abandonment.
The rule, designed to prevent the deaths of unwanted babies by allowing mothers to hand them into hospitals, has been enacted in other states including Texas but Nebraska offers to protect children as old as 19.
Read the rest of this entry »

TUESDAY, Oct. 28 (HealthDay News) –Since 1999, Keith and Deborah Krinsky of Magalia, Calif., have seen their health insurance deductible soar from $1,000 to $10,000.
And their health-care costs have put them in a financial hole.
A combination of Keith’s chronic asthma and potential heart problems, Deborah’s connective tissue disorder and fallen arches, and their kids’ various scrapes and stumbles led them to amass a pile of credit card debt and Read the rest of this entry »

CHANHASSEN, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Life Time Fitness (NYSE:LTM) today announced preliminary financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2008.
The Company expects to report revenue in the range of $192-$194 million and diluted earnings per share of $0.31-$0.34 for Q4 2008. Revenue for the year is expected to be $768-$770 million and diluted earnings per share is expected to be $1.80-$1.83 for the year. The Company Read the rest of this entry »