Consumer Driven Health Care

Why do Americans spend so much on health care? Well, it's pretty simple.

New research about consumer driven health plans finds what proponents of the plans have long lamented: That enrollees in CDHP plans are better educated and healthier than others.

Improved preventative care for diabetes has cut the rate of serious complications such as heart attack and stroke over the past 20 years while the number of Americans diagnosed with the disease continues to rise.

PPACA is prompting many to spend more at the doctors office and pharmacy, and the impact is reflected in the latest data on consumer spending.

UnitedHealth Group Inc. said first-quarter profit fell 7.8 percent, hurt by cuts to its Medicare Advantage program for elderly and disabled Americans.

A gap in U.S. patent law has kept cheap copies of Novartis AGs heart drug Diovan off the market for 18 months, costing consumers and insurers as much as $900 million in potential savings.