Charles B. Inlander, a consumer advocate and health-care consultant based in Fogelsville, Pennsylvania. He was the founding president of the nonprofit People’s Medical Society, a consumer-advocacy organization credited with key improvements in the quality of US health care, and is the author or coauthor of more than 20 consumer-health books.
The delivery of medicine has changed dramatically over the past 50 years. While you still go to a doctor for…
There’s an old axiom that the most dangerous place to be when you are sick is in a hospital. Hospitals…
The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light the difficulty we health-care consumers often have making sense out of medical information. For…
One of the most frequent complaints I hear from medical consumers is that they do not understand what their doctors…
A recent poll found that more than 40 percent of Americans have health-care debt. Health-care debt is one of the…
My family physician recently retired. He had been my primary care doctor for 35 years and he had coordinated my…
Trust between patient and doctor is essential, but sometimes you need to be skeptical of a diagnosis or proposed treatment.…
Hospital stays are getting shorter and shorter. Thirty years ago, the average stay was seven days. Today, it’s down to…
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic effect on the health-care system. Thousands of medical professionals, including doctors, nurses, therapists,…
The quality of a state’s health-care system doesn’t tell the whole story. Sometimes what matters is what is available close…
I’m not telling you anything you didn’t know when I recommend seeking medical second opinions. As studies point out, up…
Seeking Mental Health Services In addition to the tragic loss of life caused by COVID-19, the pandemic has taken an…
The longer you live, the more encounters you have with the health care system. After a while, you may forget…
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a growing shortage of doctors and nurses across America. The problem was particularly…
When the Affordable Care Act (ACA or “Obamacare”) was enacted in 2010, one of its major provisions was requiring hospitals…
Long-care insurance isn’t new, but there are recent developments everyone should know about whether you have this type of coverage or not. Read on…
Don’t assume that every test or procedure your doctor orders will be covered by your health insurance plan. Here’s when you need preauthorization…
Once we hit our 60s, 70s and beyond, our medical needs are often quite different from what they were when we were in middle age or early adulthood.
For caregivers who must take charge at a patient’s doctor appointment, the “rules” aren’t always clear. What you need to know…
Health care is vital for everyone, so it’s important to voice your concerns during this political season. Here are the best ways to be heard…
