Latest news with #medicalinsurance
The Independent
10 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Why China is making hospitals offer women pain relief for childbirth
China has mandated that all tertiary hospitals (over 500 beds) must offer epidural anaesthesia during childbirth by the end of 2024, with plans to extend to secondary hospitals (over 100 beds) by 2027. The initiative aims to create a more "friendly childbearing environment" amid declining birth rates in China. Currently, only about 30% of pregnant women in China receive anesthesia for pain relief during childbirth, compared to over 70% in some developed countries. The World Health Organisation recommends epidurals for healthy pregnant women, and they are widely used in countries like France, the United States, and Canada. To encourage more women to have children, an increasing number of provinces in China are including childbirth anesthesia costs in medical insurance schemes, and some provinces are extending marriage and maternity leave.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
The new rules for tourists in Japan's crackdown on unpaid medical bills
Japan is planning to tighten immigration rules to address the issue of foreign tourists leaving without paying their medical bills. The new policy may require tourists to obtain private medical insurance and allow immigration authorities to screen visitors for a history of unpaid bills. The government's upcoming annual economic and fiscal policy review will address insurance coverage for foreign visitors. A survey of 5,500 medical institutions in Japan found that 0.8 per cent of foreign visitors did not pay their medical bills in September 2024, resulting in approximately 61.35m Yen (£316,000) in unpaid costs. A survey by the Japan Tourism Agency in 2024 found that nearly 30 per cent of visitors did not have insurance while in Japan.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Japan is considering a major change to rules for foreign visitors
Japan is planning to tighten its immigration rules to crack down on the issue of foreign tourists leaving without paying their medical bills, according to media reports. The new policy could force visitors to get private medical insurance and allow immigration authorities to screen tourists for any history of unpaid bills, local media outlets reported citing government sources. The government's upcoming annual economic and fiscal policy review is expected to clearly state that the matter of insurance coverage for foreign visits will be addressed, Kyodo News reported. As part of the tougher rules, the ministry of health, labour and welfare is likely to share information on foreign visitors with large unpaid medical bills with the Immigration Services Agency, enabling stricter entry screenings. A nationwide survey by the ministry, covering around 5,500 medical institutions, found that 11,372 foreign visitors received medical treatment in Japan in September 2024. Of these, 0.8 per cent did not pay, resulting in unpaid bills amounting to roughly 61.35 million Yen ($427,000), Mainichi reported. International tourism to Japan has surged in recent years, partly due to the weakening yen, and local hospitals and clinics are increasingly seeing a strain on their resources due to uninsured tourists visiting the country. Last year, Asahi Shimbun reported that as tourism to Japan rises, more foreign visitors were using the country's top-tier medical facilities – yet a number of them leave without paying their bills. For example, at Tokyo's St Luke's International Hospital, about 30 out of 2,000 foreign emergency patients annually fail to pay, the report said. In 2024, a survey by the Japan Tourism Agency conducted from October 2023 to February 2024 found that nearly 30 per cent of visitors to Japan did not have insurance while in the country. In 2022, the health ministry asked medical facilities if they had faced such issues. Almost 30 per cent of those surveyed said they had unpaid bills from non-Japanese patients, a group that may include both foreign residents and tourists. Foreigners residing in Japan for more than three months are generally required to enrol in the National Health Insurance programme – a system designed for the self-employed and unemployed – unless they are covered by another form of public health insurance. The government is also considering measures to prevent foreign residents from defaulting on national insurance premiums, with such steps likely to be included in the upcoming annual policy.
Forbes
27-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
What Sparked UNH Stock Crash?
CANADA - 2025/04/06: In this photo illustration, the UnitedHealth Group logo is seen displayed on a ... More smartphone screen. (Photo Illustration by Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) UnitedHealth Group's stock has dropped a lot, over 50% since April. But, what caused this big fall? It all started last year when the company highlighted growing medical costs and predicted adjusted earnings of $30 per share for 2025. However, in December 2024, a tragic shooting in Manhattan led to the death of Brian Thompson, the CEO of the company's medical insurance division. This event fueled public anger toward medical insurance companies and brought existing frustrations with the U.S. healthcare system to a head. Soon after, UNH's stock fell sharply from over $600 to under $500. It is exactly this downside risk, versus relative upside tradeoffs we made – at scale, in constructing the Trefis High Quality (HQ) strategy that has clocked >91% return since inception, and outperformed the S&P. Separately, see – Should You Buy MRK Stock At $80? In January 2025, the company reported its fourth-quarter results and stood by its 2025 earnings forecast of $29.50 to $30.00 per share. But by the first quarter of 2025, things worsened, and UnitedHealth Group lowered its full-year earnings outlook to $24.65 to $25.15 per share. A major sign of the company's struggles was the unusual decision announced earlier this month to pull its financial outlook for the entire year, which worried investors and made them question if the company could even reach the $25 estimate given in April. The main reason for these difficulties is the sharp increase in medical costs. After the pandemic, more people started using healthcare services they had put off. This caused UNH's Medical Benefits Ratio—the percentage of premiums spent on medical claims—to jump from 82% in 2022 to 85.5% in 2024. As a result, their net profit margins fell from 6.2% to 3.6% in the same period because they couldn't raise prices fast enough to cover the rising expenses. In addition, see – Buy or Sell UNH Stock. To make matters worse, CEO Andrew Witty's sudden departure earlier this month unsettled investors, especially at a time when stable leadership was crucial. UnitedHealth Group brought back Stephen Hemsley, who was CEO from 2006 to 2017, but the market didn't react well, seeing it as a sign of panic rather than a smooth transition. Adding to the problems, reports of a criminal investigation into Medicare fraud involving UnitedHealth Group emerged. Medicare accounts for a large portion of the company's revenue and growth—a quarter of their total revenues last year. If fraud charges are proven, it could lead to penalties and restrictions on their business, causing investors to sell off their shares. The situation with UnitedHealth Group highlights the risks of investing heavily in a single stock. Building a diversified portfolio is crucial for balancing risk and reward. For example, the Trefis High Quality (HQ) strategy, which focuses on balancing risk and reward, has outperformed the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Russell 2000 since its inception.
South China Morning Post
16-05-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Greater healthcare demand drives 55% hike in Hong Kong employee medical premiums
Hong Kong employers are facing significantly higher costs for their employees' medical insurance, with premiums having increased by 55 per cent over the past three years due to a greater demand for healthcare services, including those related to post-Covid illnesses. The findings were announced on Friday by the College of Professional and Continuing Education (CPCE) at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). They form part of Hong Kong's first 'Staff Medical Insurance Index', a collaborative effort with MPF consultant GUM. The Index, which covers 19 years of market data from 2006 to 2024, aims to provide a comprehensive illustration of the actual use, expense, and premium trends of group medical insurance in Hong Kong. It comprises the Utilisation Index, the Expense Index, and the Premium Index. This year's analysis showed that the Composite Premium Index under the insurance index had cumulatively surged by 55 per cent, rising from 182 in 2021 to 282 in 2024. Professor Peter Yuen Pok-man, Dean of PolyU CPCE and a health economics expert, said that 'the rise in medical premiums [was] mainly driven by high utilisation rates'. 'Insurers set future premium rates based on past claim experiences,' said Yuen. 'Group medical insurance is facing a dilemma where high utilisation leads to premium increases, which, in the long run, could undermine the sustainability of private healthcare and indirectly intensify the pressure on the public healthcare system.' Dr Gloria Siu, chief executive of GUM, pointed out that 'a surge in upper respiratory infections has driven up the utilisation of general outpatient services.'
