Consumer Driven Health Care

UnitedHealth Group's first-quarter earnings sank 14 percent, as medical costs dulled enrollment-fueled revenue gains for the nation's largest health insurer, which also expects federal budget cuts will pressure its performance the rest of the year.

The health care work force has a message for Washington about health reform: It's not ready for it.

North Carolina business recruiters say a historically outsized package of about $100 million in state and local incentives to get MetLife Inc. to move 2,600 jobs from other states to North Carolina could stall benefits to other companies or force lawmakers to loosen up the rules.

UnitedHealth Group Inc. will give investors and analysts an initial look at how 2013 is developing for health insurers when it reports first-quarter results on Thursday.

More than half of Americans say prescription painkiller addiction is a major health concern, and the same amount believe doctors should have limits on the amount and dosage of pain medication they are allowed to prescribe.

As health insurance professionals, you are most likely well aware of your ability to write off certain qualified health care expenses. Remember though not all of your consumers are meticulous itemizers like you. Fortify your customer service approach by informing consumers about their health care cost deduction options.