WASHINGTON (AP) — A growing number of Americans age 40 and older think Medicare should cover the costs of long-term care for older adults, according to a poll conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That option is unlikely to gain much traction as President Donald Trump’s administration and Republicans in Congress … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Medicare on Friday, October 14, 2016, unveiled a far-reaching overhaul of how it compensates doctors and other clinicians. The goal is to reward quality, cost-effective care instead of just paying piecemeal for services. The complex regulation is nearly 2,400 pages long and will take years to fully implement. It’s meant to carry … Continue reading
CHICAGO (AP) — A new report says nearly 12 million Medicare beneficiaries received at least one prescription for an opioid painkiller last year at a cost of $4.1 billion. Federal data show how common the addictive drugs are in many older Americans’ medicine cabinets. With an overdose epidemic worsening, nearly one-third of Medicare beneficiaries received … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Treating hearing loss shouldn’t be such a pricey hassle. That’s the message from a prestigious government advisory group that’s calling on Medicare and other agencies to find ways to make better hearing more affordable and accessible for millions of older Americans. One proposal: Allow over-the-counter sales of simple devices for mild hearing … Continue reading
CHICAGO (AP) — Demand for long-term care is expected to increase as the nation ages, but the majority of Americans 40 and older lack confidence in their ability to pay for it. The annual cost of long-term care expenses range from $17,680 for adult day care to more than $92,000 for a private room in … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — They work for the government and even their closest relatives have no idea what they do. It’s not because they’re spies or nuclear scientists, but because their jobs are so arcane: trying to reinvent Medicare to improve it, and maybe save taxpayers money. In a sprawling, nondescript office park near Baltimore, some … Continue reading
DALLAS (AP) — A jury on Wednesday, April 13 convicted a Dallas-area doctor of fraud for allegedly “selling his signature” to process almost $375 million in false Medicare and Medicaid claims in what investigators called the biggest home health care fraud case in the history of both programs. A federal jury deliberated for 14 hours … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — From Akron to Tampa Bay, from New York City to San Francisco, Medicare on Friday launches an ambitious experiment changing how it pays for hip and knee replacements in an effort to raise quality and lower costs. The idea is to follow patients more closely to smooth their recovery and head off … Continue reading
An editorial statement by President Barack Obama Just six years ago, the reality in our country was that millions of Americans were locked out of our health care system because they couldn’t afford insurance or because they had pre-existing conditions. Women were charged more than men simply because they were women. People who needed coverage the … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Big companies are pushing back against proposed federal rules they say would require their medical plans to cover gender transition and other services under the nondiscrimination mandate of President Barack Obama’s health care law. Civil rights advocates representing transgender people say the regulation, now being finalized by the Health and Human Services … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders says his plan for a government-run health care system from cradle to grave is like Medicare for all. But with full coverage for long-term care, most dental care included, no deductibles and zero copays, the Sanders plan is considerably more generous. Think of it as Medicare on … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — With time running out on open enrollment season, many seniors are facing sharply higher premiums for Medicare’s popular prescription drug program. The reason: rising drug costs have overtaken a long stretch of stable premiums. Beneficiaries have until Dec. 7 to see if there’s a lower-cost plan that will cover their medications in … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Medicare beneficiaries will keep paying the same monthly premium for outpatient care next year, the Obama administration said Tuesday, November 10. But new beneficiaries will pay a larger amount, and upper-income retirees are looking at considerably higher charges. Separately, all beneficiaries face a $19 increase in the Part B deductible … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Confronting the consequences of high-priced drugs, the Obama administration Thursday pointedly reminded states that they cannot legally restrict access by low-income people to revolutionary cures for liver-wasting hepatitis C infection. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also sent letters to several drug manufacturers, requesting details of what they are doing … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Monday signed into law a bipartisan budget bill that avoids a catastrophic U.S. default and puts off the next round of fighting over federal spending and debt until after next year’s presidential and congressional elections. Obama praised the rare bipartisan cooperation behind the deal, saying that 2-year agreement … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 