Information on the Affordable Care Act's insurance exchanges

Here is a website form Blue Cross of Illinois, our largest medical insurance provider in IL, and one of the companies that will be offering policies on the new IL insurance exchange starting Oct. 1st.
It is very informative and uses some hypothetical cases. 

Do you have any questions on the information in this guide?

Ask Blue

This is a summary of a recent study by the National Institutes of Health showing an enormous variation in the quoted prices for hip replacements by various hospitals -- from $11,100 to more than $125,000! They also found most hospitals would not give a price quote for the procedure. The authors wrote "There is no justification for the inability to report a fee estimate, or a 12-fold price variation for a common elective procedure like a hip replacement."
Why do we have these huge price variations with hospital procedures?

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Orthopedics/Orthopedics/37313

Supreme Court rules Drug Companies exempt from Lawsuits

In a 5-4 vote, the US Supreme Court struck down a lower court’s ruling and award for the victim of a generic pharmaceutical drug’s adverse reaction. According to the victim and the state courts, the drug caused a flesh-eating side effect that left the patient permanently disfigured over most of her body. The adverse reaction was hidden by the drug maker and later forced to be included on all warning labels. But the highest court in the land ruled that the victim had no legal grounds to sue the corporation because its drugs are exempt from lawsuits.

http://www.whiteoutpress.com/articles/q32013/supreme-court-rules-drug-companies-exempt-from-lawsuits/

The Truth About Salt

Urban legends also occur in medical practice, including the recommendations concerning salt/sodium intake. Sodium is vital for many functions in our bodies including heart contraction. We are also recently seeing much information about the dangers of low sodium intake including hyponatremia. Here is an article from my current newsletter. Any comments on this information?

http://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=1800

Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation Health Reform Website

This site from the Henry Kaiser Family Foundation now has a insurance cost subsidy calculator. It also has a health reform quiz.

Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation Health Reform Website

Health Reform and You Blue Cross of Illinois

Here is a link to a new website by Blue Cross of Illinois which gives information on key dates for the new healthcare reform health insurance exchanges to be started in October. 
Many people do not know that subsidies will be given to help with the costs of the plans. 
This site also has a sign up for a newsletter which will give updates to these changes.

Health Reform and You Blue Cross of Illinois

Low Back Pain Journal of the American Medical Association

This article by the Journal of the American Medical Association recommends chiropractic therapy as a treatment for low back pain.

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1681414