United Health Insurance

Luz Costa, found herself facing thousands of dollars in medical bills after she was admitted to Saint Michaels in 2006.

Costa, a junior at Rutgers-Newark, who was told she would be covered by student insurance, explained how she had to pay 400 dollars in doctors’ fees for just one visit. “I couldn’t afford some of the other ones,” she elaborates on the damage of the unpaid bills. “Some were sent to a collection agency and went against my credit.” Read more

By Deirdre Fernandes | hamptonroads.com

For the first time, city employees and retirees will have to pay for individual health insurance plans.

The City Council unanimously approved a slew of changes to its health insurance policies for current employees and retirees that could save the city an estimated $15 million in annual costs and future liabilities.

The changes come after more than a year of discussion about the ballooning cost of insurance and how much taxpayers should subsidize. The policy will probably have to be revised again, Councilman Harry Diezel said. Read more

Melissa Traub has struggled for a decade with an eating disorder, her weight sometimes dipping below 100 pounds, her hair falling out by the handful.

Today, the 24-year-old Naperville woman appears to be healthy—a tribute to treatment, tenacity and financial means. The road to recovery, which included hospitalization and stints in residential treatment centers, cost her family more than $100,000, even with insurance. Read more