Americans now spend twice as much on health care as they did in the 1980s

The average American household spent almost $5,000 per person on health care last year. That’s a 101% increase from the roughly $2,500 per person that Americans spent about 34 years ago in 1984, according to an analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditures Survey by data company Clever. To make accurate comparisons, Clever adjusted all dollar amounts for inflation. It’s perhaps not surprising that health care expenses have risen over the past three decades. But the main driver of the increase is not drug costs or medical services. In…

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Help us report! Share your health costs story and search prices

The health care market in the United States is opaque. Most people don’t know the costs of medical procedures they need until after the fact, leaving patients with little to no ability to factor price into their health care decisions. In an effort to change this, CBS News is working on a series of reports designed to bring transparency to the health care marketplace. CBS News has teamed up with journalists at ClearHealthCosts to gather information from you about the amounts you’ve been billed for medical procedures. We will use this crowdsourced…

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Deepika Padukone launches Live Love Laugh lecture series on mental health: Long way to go

Deepika Padukone at the launch of Live Love Laugh lecture series Photo: Yogen Shah Mental health and promoting an empathetic discussion around it has been the centre of Deepika Padukone’s agenda ever since she came out with her story of dealing with depression. Deepika became one of the first celebrities in Bollywood to break the stigma and start an open dialogue around mental health. In fact, four years ago when she launched her project Live Love Laugh Foundation, aimed at doing the same, she received a lot of acclaim for…

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British vapers are safe, claim health experts after deaths in US

 A man exhales after vaping at the Vape Jam Convention in London in April 2018. Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/REX/Shutterstock Health experts have moved to reassure British vapers in the wake of a severe respiratory illness that has killed at least five people and hospitalised many more in the US. More than 450 possible cases – all linked to vaping – among otherwise “healthy young people” are being investigated, US officials said on Friday. They have reported that affected individuals have experienced respiratory symptoms including a cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue. Some…

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Five ways to safely research your health symptoms online

Help your doctor to help you. (Posed by models.) Photograph: RyanJLane/Getty Images Be confident , but considerate There is no need for you to feel self-conscious about letting your GP know that you have researched your symptoms online. Your health means more to you than it does to anyone else, so embrace the information at your fingertips: it may help your doctor to help you. But it is important to remember that they are the expert, and to respect their time limitations. Before your appointment, form some plan for how to…

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Calculate the Total Out-of-Pocket Cost of Your Health Insurance Plan

How much do you pay for your health insurance? If you only think about your health insurance costs in terms of the monthly premiums, you’re leaving out a lot of potential expenses. Right now, for example, I have an Affordable Care Act Bronze plan with a $442.83 monthly premium and a $6,200 deductible. This means that I could pay a total of $11,513.96—the $6,200 deductible plus $5,313.96 in premiums—before my insurer begins to pick up the cost for any of my healthcare. I might end up paying less than that,…

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