Research and Trends News

Hospital Charges Vary Widely, Even Within Cities: U.S. Data

The Obama administration revealed what over 3,000 hospitals charge for common medical procedures in an early effort to challenge healthcare costs by showing consumers how prices for the same service can vary by tens of thousands of dollars. The most …

London Is Venue of Choice for ‘Legal Tourists’ Wanting to Settle Disputes

Foreigners brought almost two-thirds of all lawsuits heard in London’s leading commercial court over the last five years, according to a new survey, cementing the city’s reputation as the venue of choice for “legal tourists.” London, with a justice system …

April Brought Fewer Tornadoes But Severe Hail, Floods to U.S.: Aon

Parts of the U.S. suffered severe hail and flooding damage during April, although there were fewer tornadoes than expected. Impact Forecasting, the catastrophe model center at Aon Benfield, released its monthly Global Catastrophe Recap report, which reviews the natural disaster …

Medical Malpractice Payouts Not Driving Up Health Costs: Study

Efforts to lower health care costs in the United States have focused at times on demands to reform the medical malpractice system, with some researchers asserting that large, headline-grabbing and “frivolous” payouts are among the heaviest drains on health care …

Risk Retention Groups Continue to Display Financial Stability: Demotech

Risk retention groups continue to display strong and stable results, according to a recent analysis of year-end 2012 financial information. Demotech Inc., a financial analysis firm specializing in evaluating the financial stability of regional and specialty insurers, analyzed the reported …

Fundamental Changes Spur Health Spending Dip: Study

Slower growth in the pace of U.S. healthcare spending reflects a fundamental change in the use of medical services that could save the country nearly $800 billion in the next decade, according to two new studies released on Monday. The …

Patent Claims Causing Firms to Exit Business Lines: Study

Patent demands are taking a big toll on technology companies, with results that range from forcing companies to tweak their products to exiting their business altogether, according to a study from the Santa Clara University School of Law. The study …

North Carolina Underreports Workplace Deaths: Study

A study by workplace safety advocates shows that more workers die on the job in North Carolina than the state reports. The Charlotte Observer reported that the state Labor Department recorded 35 workers killed on the job in 2012. The …

Crop Insurance Subsidies Encourage Farmers to Buy Too Much Coverage: Economist

U.S. farmers have collected a record $17 billion in crop insurance payments on drought-hit 2012 crops but the system could have spent half as much and still saved growers from ruinous losses, an insurance specialist said on Wednesday as the …

South Carolina Drivers Get a Cost Break

The cost of driving in South Carolina is down for the first time in four years. AAA Carolinas announced that it will cost the driver of an average sedan about $9,200 to operate their vehicle this year. That’s down from …