By Dan Caplinger, TMG; Wisconsin State journal ~ Nov 27, 2016

Unexpected healthcare costs can drive even financially comfortable families into bankruptcy. As a result, it’s essential for people to get the health insurance coverage they need to protect against that level of risk. However, many find health insurance extremely confusing, and they can make poor choices because of their lack of knowledge. Below, we’ll look at a few basic rules to follow in looking for the best health insurance coverage for you and your family.

By Christopher S. Rugaber; The Associated Press ~ Nov 26, 2016

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s proposals would modestly cut income taxes for most middle-class Americans. But for nearly 8 million families – including a majority of single-parent households – the opposite would occur: They’d pay more.

By Jazz Shaw; Hot Air ~ Nov 23, 2016

The National Institute of Health (NIH) is a subsidiary organization of the Department of Health and Human Services. It has an annual budget in excess of $30B and is responsible for a variety of biomedical research projects.

By Elizabeth Dilts; Reuters ~ Nov 22, 2016

NEW YORK – A group of lawyers representing insurance and securities brokerages have made a curious argument for why a federal court should kill a rule aimed at protecting retirement savers: It restricts Wall Street’s First Amendment rights.

By Susan Morse; Healthcare Finance ~ Nov 22, 2016

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released its list of 97 measures under consideration for quality reporting for inpatient, outpatient, long-term care and other services and programs such as Medicare Shared Savings and the merit-based incentive payment system.

From Patrick O’Brien; Forbes ~ Nov 22, 2016

When I was named executor after my father’s death in 2004, one of the first logical steps seemed to be closing his Individual Retirement Account (IRA). Fortunately, my sister Michele told me about a way to continue to allow that money to grow tax-free for decades with something called an IRA-BDA (Beneficiary Distribution Account).

By Peter J. Pitts; Investor’s Business Daily ~ Nov 22, 2016

When Christie Tucker’s son Preston was diagnosed with diabetes, his insulin prescription cost just $40. Now, two years later, Christie is paying $650 for a six-week supply of the medicine.

Many people reflexively blame drug companies for Christie’s dilemma. But the firms producing Preston’s insulin aren’t making more money. Insulin list prices are going up, but net prices — the money drug firms actually receive — are falling sharply. The extra cash is instead landing in the pockets of pharmacy benefit managers.

By HealthDay News; United Press International ~ Nov 22, 2016

TUESDAY, Nov. 22, 2016 — Privately insured Americans spent nearly 5 percent more on healthcare last year than in 2014, largely because of escalating prices, new research shows.

The 4.6 percent increase was significantly more than that of previous years, and reflects higher costs for prescription drugs, ER visits and hospitalizations, according to the nonprofit Health Care Cost Institute.

By Grace Dobush; The Christian Science Monitor ~ Nov 21, 2016

November 21, 2016 —Social Security numbers may be the worst kept secrets in America.

But the originators of the individualized codes first distributed in 1936 by the Social Security Administration never intended them to become de facto identifiers relied on by hospitals, insurers, banks, cable companies, and even retailers.

By LINDSEY TANNER; The Associated Press ~ Nov 21, 2016

CHICAGO (AP) — New research documents another decline in dementia rates but experts say the rising numbers of older Americans may halt that trend unless better ways are found to keep brains healthy.

The study released Monday shows the rate of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in adults aged 65 and up dropped to about 9 percent in 2012 from nearly 12 percent in 2000, continuing a decline noted in earlier research.