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A new study published this week by the Brookings Institution notes that being diligent about determining that the hospital and doctors performing the procedures participate in their insurance plans may not be enough. People can still be hit with thousands of dollars’ worth of additional “surprise medical bills” – sometimes ten to 20 times what they expected to pay. (Pianin, 10/17)

Adults who skipped vaccines in 2015 cost the economy $8.95 billion, demonstrating the importance of personal responsibility in bringing down health care costs. The mostly costly preventable disease was the flu, which cost the country $5.79 billion. Researchers took a look at ten optional vaccines for adults that prevent 14 different diseases, according to the peer-reviewed study published in Health Affairs. They sought to aggregate the direct costs and lost productivity. (Tomlinson, 10/14)