81. During the year, the policyholder can use the accounts to cover medical costs until they reach the deductible of the policy. 82. Eliminating tobacco in prisons would reduce the number of smoke-related illnesses among employees and inmates and lower medical costs, he said. 83. Even before the attacks, medical costs were increasing more rapidly than employers had expected. 84. Earnings for managed health-care companies have been hurt in recent quarters by higher medical costs and increased price competition. 85. Ernest Babcock, a Portland lawyer retained to defend hospitals and doctors in malpractice cases, disputed the notion that practice guidelines cut medical costs. 86. Even as medical costs grow by double-digits, consumers with fairly generous health benefits remain largely insulated from price realities. 87. Even if the rise in medical costs could somehow be restrained, the demographics demand change. 88. Ever more costly prescription drugs and rising hospital rates have played big roles in rising medical costs. 89. Employers are finding that as refinements are made, the hybrid plans become more effective at holding down medical costs. 90. Even plans that stayed away from bad risks saw medical costs rise as their original enrollees aged. |