WEATHER ALERT
Walz unveils Harris' plan for rural voters as campaign looks to cut into Trump's edge
Read full article: Walz unveils Harris' plan for rural voters as campaign looks to cut into Trump's edgeDemocratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz unveiled his ticketโs plans to improve the lives of rural voters as Vice President Kamala Harris looks to cut into former President Donald Trumpโs support.
Medicare Advantage shopping season arrives with a dose of confusion and some political implications
Read full article: Medicare Advantage shopping season arrives with a dose of confusion and some political implicationsThinner benefits and coverage changes await many older Americans shopping for health insurance this fall.
An appeals court has revived a challenge to President Biden's Medicare drug price reduction program
Read full article: An appeals court has revived a challenge to President Biden's Medicare drug price reduction programA constitutional challenge to the Biden administration program enabling Medicare to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs has been revived by a federal appeals court.
Prosecutors describe 22-year-old Florida manโs role in $39.5M health care fraud
Read full article: Prosecutors describe 22-year-old Florida manโs role in $39.5M health care fraudA 22-year-old Florida man pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges related to his role in a $39.5 million health care fraud.
White House says prescription drug deals will produce billions in savings for taxpayers, seniors
Read full article: White House says prescription drug deals will produce billions in savings for taxpayers, seniorsTaxpayers are expected to save billions after the Biden administration inked deals with pharmaceutical companies to knock down the list prices for 10 of Medicareโs costliest drugs.
Investigator: Woman pays patients bribes as part of Medicare fraud in Miami-Dade
Read full article: Investigator: Woman pays patients bribes as part of Medicare fraud in Miami-DadeA 50-year-old woman stands accused of Medicare fraud after allegedly routinely paying patients bribes in Miami-Dade County.
Lost chances to treat overdose survivors are documented in new Medicare study
Read full article: Lost chances to treat overdose survivors are documented in new Medicare studyPeople on Medicare who survived a drug overdose were much more likely to later receive opioid painkillers than any medication to treat addiction โ and some went on to die of an overdose.
Can Medicare money protect doctors from abortion crimes? It worked before, desegregating hospitals
Read full article: Can Medicare money protect doctors from abortion crimes? It worked before, desegregating hospitalsThe Supreme Court's decision regarding Idaho's abortion ban may hinge on whether federal spending power can protect doctors against a state's criminal code.
Medicare and Social Security go-broke dates are pushed back in a 'measure of good news'
Read full article: Medicare and Social Security go-broke dates are pushed back in a 'measure of good news'The go-broke dates for benefit programs Medicare and Social Security have been pushed back as an improving economy has contributed to changed projected depletion dates, according to the annual Social Security and Medicare trustees report.
CVS Health chops 2024 forecast as cost struggles with Medicare Advantage persist
Read full article: CVS Health chops 2024 forecast as cost struggles with Medicare Advantage persistCVS Health missed first-quarter expectations and chopped its 2024 outlook more than a dollar below Wall Streetโs forecast.
About 1 in 4 US adults 50 and older who aren't yet retired expect to never retire, AARP study finds
Read full article: About 1 in 4 US adults 50 and older who aren't yet retired expect to never retire, AARP study findsAbout one-quarter of U.S. adults age 50 and older who aren't yet retired say they expect to never retire and 70% are concerned about prices rising faster than their income.
Biden sees a $35 price cap for insulin as a pivotal campaign issue. Itโs not that clear-cut
Read full article: Biden sees a $35 price cap for insulin as a pivotal campaign issue. Itโs not that clear-cutPresident Joe Biden frequently cites insulin prices as he promotes a $35 price cap for Americans with diabetes who are on Medicare.
Judge in Miami orders man to forfeit over $187M after $463M Medicare fraud scheme
Read full article: Judge in Miami orders man to forfeit over $187M after $463M Medicare fraud schemeFederal agents were seizing a millionaireโs property after taking over $30 million from his bank accounts, a Ferrari Spider, and a Land Rover Range Rover.
Merck sues federal government, calling plan to negotiate Medicare drug prices extortion
Read full article: Merck sues federal government, calling plan to negotiate Medicare drug prices extortionMerck is suing the federal government over a plan to negotiate Medicare drug prices, calling the program a sham equivalent to extortion.
Debt limit deal is in place, but budget deficit is still a multi-decade challenge for US government
Read full article: Debt limit deal is in place, but budget deficit is still a multi-decade challenge for US governmentEven with new spending restraints included in the congressional debt limit deal, the U.S. governmentโs deficits are still on course to keep climbing to record levels over the next few decades.
Biden says he's expanding some migrants' health care access
Read full article: Biden says he's expanding some migrants' health care accessPresident Joe Biden says his administration is expanding eligibility for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Actโs health insurance exchanges to hundreds of thousands of immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
Most oppose Social Security, Medicare cuts: AP-NORC poll
Read full article: Most oppose Social Security, Medicare cuts: AP-NORC pollAmericans are deeply opposed to cutting into Medicare or Social Security benefits, and most support raising taxes on the nationโs highest earners to keep Medicare running as is.
Medicare, Social Security could fall short over next decade
Read full article: Medicare, Social Security could fall short over next decadeAn annual report on Social Security and Medicare says the financial safety nets millions of older Americans rely on and millions more young people are counting on will run short on funds to pay full benefits within the next decade.
Poll: Cut federal spending โ but not big-ticket programs
Read full article: Poll: Cut federal spending โ but not big-ticket programsIn the federal budget standoff, the majority of U.S. adults are asking lawmakers to pull off the impossible: Cut the overall size of government, but also devote more money to the most popular and expensive programs.
Haley wants entitlement program changes for younger people
Read full article: Haley wants entitlement program changes for younger peopleRepublican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is proposing changes to entitlement programs for younger generations, opening the door to potential cuts to Social Security and Medicare if elected.
Sen. Rick Scott alters policy plan causing heartburn for GOP
Read full article: Sen. Rick Scott alters policy plan causing heartburn for GOPRepublican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida has amended a plan to overhaul how the federal government works after Democrats repeatedly seized on it to accuse Republicans of looking to cut Medicare and Social Security.
Biden warns of GOP plans for Medicare, Social Security cuts
Read full article: Biden warns of GOP plans for Medicare, Social Security cutsWhen President Joe Biden suggested that Republicans want to slash Medicare and Social Security it brought howls of protests from the GOP side of the aisle during the State of the Union address.
Medicare enrollees warned about deceptive marketing schemes
Read full article: Medicare enrollees warned about deceptive marketing schemesWith Medicareโs open enrollment underway, health experts are warning older adults about an uptick in misleading marketing tactics that might lead some to sign up for Medicare Advantage plans that donโt cover their doctors or prescriptions and drive up their out-of-pocket costs.
Florida man gets 4 1/2 years for $2.2M Medicare fraud scheme
Read full article: Florida man gets 4 1/2 years for $2.2M Medicare fraud schemeA federal judge sentenced a Florida medical equipment supply company owner to spend more than four-and-a-half years in prison after prosecutors said he defrauded Medicare out of more than $2.2 million.
Millions of Americans will save on Medicare fees next year
Read full article: Millions of Americans will save on Medicare fees next yearFor the first time in a decade, Americans will pay less next year on monthly premiums for Medicareโs Part B plan, which covers routine doctorsโ visits and other outpatient care.
Pharmacies can't discriminate on reproductive health scripts
Read full article: Pharmacies can't discriminate on reproductive health scriptsThe Biden administration is warning pharmacies not to discriminate against women who may seek reproductive health prescriptions, including some that might be involved in ending a pregnancy.
Officials: Hialeah fraud suspect caught heading to Cuba on Jet Ski
Read full article: Officials: Hialeah fraud suspect caught heading to Cuba on Jet SkiA Hialeah resident charged in a $4.2 million Medicare fraud scheme is being held as a flight risk after officials said he tried to flee the U.S. on a Jet Ski.
Go-broke dates pushed back for Social Security, Medicare
Read full article: Go-broke dates pushed back for Social Security, MedicareA stronger-than-expected economic recovery from the pandemic has pushed back the go-broke dates for Social Security and Medicare, but officials warn that the current economic turbulence is putting additional pressures on the bedrock retirement programs.
Medicare weighs premium cut after limiting Alzheimer's drug
Read full article: Medicare weighs premium cut after limiting Alzheimer's drugMedicare says itโs considering a cut in enrollee premiums, after officials stuck with an earlier decision to sharply limit coverage for a pricey new Alzheimerโs drug projected to drive up program costs.
Feds find 85-year-old man used in fraud nearly dead in Miami-Dade
Read full article: Feds find 85-year-old man used in fraud nearly dead in Miami-DadeFederal agents are searching for information about an 85-year-old man from Miami-Dade County who was neglected and exploited in a scheme to defraud Medicare.
Beware of fraudsters pretending to help you get COVID-19 tests, mining for financial information
Read full article: Beware of fraudsters pretending to help you get COVID-19 tests, mining for financial informationFraudsters on the prowl are using the governmentโs response to the coronavirus pandemic amid demand for testing to lure the vulnerable into disclosing sensitive information.
$56K Alzheimerโs drug avoiding Bidenโs cost curbs, for now
Read full article: $56K Alzheimerโs drug avoiding Bidenโs cost curbs, for nowA new $56,000-a-year Alzheimerโs medication thatโs leading to one of the biggest increases ever in Medicare premiums is highlighting the limitations of President Joe Bidenโs strategy for curbing prescription drug costs.
Sanders to Biden: Cut back looming Medicare premium hike
Read full article: Sanders to Biden: Cut back looming Medicare premium hikeSen. Bernie Sanders is asking the White House to cut back a big Medicare premium hike set to take effect in weeks and tied to a pricey Alzheimerโs drug whose benefits have been widely questioned.
Cap on drug price hikes for privately insured sparks battle
Read full article: Cap on drug price hikes for privately insured sparks battleWorkers and families with private health insurance would reap savings on prescription drugs from a little-noticed provision in President Joe Biden's social agenda bill.
Real Medicare drug savings in Dems' bill โ but not overnight
Read full article: Real Medicare drug savings in Dems' bill โ but not overnightMedicare enrollees who take expensive medicines could save thousands of dollars a year under the Democratsโ sweeping social agenda bill, but those dividends wonโt come overnight.
How a Medicare Advantage plan pivoted to help providers and patients during a global pandemic
Read full article: How a Medicare Advantage plan pivoted to help providers and patients during a global pandemicThe new Preferred Care Network, formerly Medica Healthcare, is once again making a mark in South Florida, the company said.
3 Medicare Advantage plans you should consider
Read full article: 3 Medicare Advantage plans you should considerOne of the comments that health care professionals say they hear from Medicare Advantage members is something along the lines of, โInflation is really affecting my daily life, and I cannot afford a health care plan that is going to cost me money.โ
Paid leave, immigration, tax changes added to Biden bill
Read full article: Paid leave, immigration, tax changes added to Biden billHouse Democrats have added paid family and medical leave, immigration law changes and a state-and-local tax break to their $1.75 trillion social services and environmental bill.
Democrats reach drug price deal, Biden upbeat on Manchin
Read full article: Democrats reach drug price deal, Biden upbeat on ManchinDemocrats say they have sealed a deal to lower pharmaceutical drug costs for most older Americans as part of President Joe Bidenโs sweeping $1.75 trillion domestic proposal.
Dems see progress in adding drug cost curbs to budget bill
Read full article: Dems see progress in adding drug cost curbs to budget billTwo congressional aides say Democrats have made significant progress on adding compromise provisions curbing prescription drug prices to their massive social and environment package.
Medicaid issues, not Medicare's, get fixes in Biden budget
Read full article: Medicaid issues, not Medicare's, get fixes in Biden budgetMedicaid issues are turning up as winners in President Joe Bidenโs social budget framework even as divisions force Democrats to hit pause on far-reaching improvements to Medicare.
Agonizing choices as Dems debate shrinking health care pie
Read full article: Agonizing choices as Dems debate shrinking health care pieDemocrats are fretting about how theyโd divide a shrinking pie amid signs that negotiations over President Joe Bidenโs massive domestic policy bill could yield a smaller serving of health care spending.
COVID recession pushed Social Security insolvency up a year
Read full article: COVID recession pushed Social Security insolvency up a yearThe sharp shock of the coronavirus recession pushed Social Security a year closer to insolvency but left Medicareโs exhaustion date unchanged, the government reported Tuesday.
As COVID rises, a vexing hunt for nursing home vaccine stats
Read full article: As COVID rises, a vexing hunt for nursing home vaccine statsWith COVID-19 on the rise again and many nursing home staffers unvaccinated, families still lack easy access to crucial Medicare immunization data that will help them pick the right facility for their loved one.
Feds take down Medicare scams that preyed on virus fears
Read full article: Feds take down Medicare scams that preyed on virus fearsThe Justice Department is announcing criminal charges against more than a dozen people from Florida to California in a series of Medicare scams that exploited coronavirus fears to bill tens of millions of dollars in bogus claims.
Estados Unidos requiere que casas para ancianos reporten vacunaciรณn
Read full article: Estados Unidos requiere que casas para ancianos reporten vacunaciรณnCon la obligaciรณn, las autoridades buscan presionar a estas instalaciones para que sigan vacunando. Aunque estรกn quedando atrรกs los peores estragos de la pandemia, persiste el peligro de un rebrote.
Democrats must find narrow path to curb high medicine prices
Read full article: Democrats must find narrow path to curb high medicine pricesPresident Joe Bidenโs call for authorizing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices has energized Democrats on a politically popular idea theyโve been pushing for nearly 20 years only to encounter frustration.
Biden's Medicare pick would be 1st Black woman to hold post
Read full article: Biden's Medicare pick would be 1st Black woman to hold postThe agency oversees government health insurance programs covering more than 1 out of 3 Americans and is a linchpin of the health care system. CMS also plays a central role in the nationโs $4 trillion health care economy, setting Medicare payment rates for hospitals, doctors, labs and other service providers. The agency also sets standards that govern how health care providers operate. โShe is well-respected and liked by the department veterans who have worked with her in the past.โYears ago, Brooks-LaSure worked with Biden's nominee to run HHS, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. AdUnder Biden, Brooks-LaSure will be expected to grow Obamacare enrollment by promoting HealthCare.gov and trying to persuade holdout states to adopt Medicaid expansion.
Trump plan to curb drug costs dealt setback in court
Read full article: Trump plan to curb drug costs dealt setback in courtThe Trump regulation would tie what Medicare pays for certain drugs administered in a doctor's office to the lowest price paid among a group of economically advanced countries. Some opponents have likened the Trump policy to a form of socialist price controls. Trump came into office accusing drug companies of โgetting away with murderโ and promising to slash costs for American patients. Even if the Trump rule is ultimately blocked, the idea of using international prices to lower costs for Americans is very much alive. It's at the heart of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's legislation to empower Medicare to negotiate drug prices.
Trump tries to revive stalled election-eve drug discounts
Read full article: Trump tries to revive stalled election-eve drug discountsFILE - In this Oct. 10, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump speaks from the Blue Room Balcony of the White House to a crowd of supporters in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)WASHINGTON โ The Trump administration is trying to revive the president's stalled election-eve plan to send millions of Medicare recipients a $200 prescription discount card. White House spokesman Judd Deere confirmed the administration is continuing to move forward. โItโs simply good policy, and demonstrates President Trump is continuing to deliver on his promises to our nationโs seniors to lower drug prices." Pallone dismissed the latest White House push.
Trump makes late-term bid to lower prescription drug costs
Read full article: Trump makes late-term bid to lower prescription drug costsThe Trump administration disputes that and says its rule could potentially result in 30% savings for patients. It also would allow private insurance plans for workers and their families get Medicare's lower prices. Trump has taken other action to lower prescription drug costs by opening a legal path for importing medicines from abroad. Also, Medicare drug plans that cap insulin costs at $35 a month are available during open enrollment, currently underway. The Food and Drug Administration has put a priority on approving generics, which cost less.
Trump makes late-term bid to lower prescription drug costs
Read full article: Trump makes late-term bid to lower prescription drug costsThe Trump administration disputes that and says its rule could potentially result in 30% savings for patients. Trump has taken other action to lower prescription drug costs by opening a legal path for importing medicines from abroad. Also, Medicare drug plans that cap insulin costs at $35 a month are available during open enrollment, currently underway. The Food and Drug Administration has put a priority on approving generics, which cost less. Asked about when President Trump might concede the election to President-elect Joe Biden, she said that the result is pending litigation.
Biden has room on health care, though limited by Congress
Read full article: Biden has room on health care, though limited by CongressAnd just like the Trump administration, Biden is expected to aggressively wield the rule-making powers of the executive branch to address health insurance coverage and prescription drug costs. With COVID-19 surging across the country, Biden's top health care priority is whipping the federal governmentโs response into shape. โWeโre going to work quickly with the Congress to dramatically ramp up health care protections, get Americans universal coverage, lower health care costs, as soon as humanly possible,โ the president-elect said earlier this week. A factor that may work in Biden's favor is that many Republicans want to change the subject on health care. Coronavirus relief legislation could provide an early vehicle for some broader health care changes.
Feds issue coverage plan for COVID-19 vaccine and treatments
Read full article: Feds issue coverage plan for COVID-19 vaccine and treatmentsThe regulations from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, will also increase what Medicare pays hospitals for COVID-19 treatments. Under Wednesday's announcement:โ Seniors with traditional Medicare will pay nothing for COVID-19 vaccines, and any copays and deductibles are waived. โ The government will pay private Medicare Advantage plans to administer the vaccine to seniors. โ Workplace and individual health insurance plans will cover the COVID-19 vaccine as a preventive service, with no cost sharing. โ State Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance plans will have to provide vaccines for free for the duration of the coronavirus public health emergency.
Medicare finalizing coverage policy for coronavirus vaccine
Read full article: Medicare finalizing coverage policy for coronavirus vaccineWASHINGTON โ Medicare will cover the yet-to-be approved coronavirus vaccine free for older people under a policy change expected to be announced shortly, a senior Trump administration official said Tuesday. It's questionable under normal circumstances if Medicare can pay for a drug that receives emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, as expected for the eventual coronavirus vaccine. A White House-backed initiative called โOperation Warp Speedโ is pushing to have a vaccine ready for distribution in the coming months. States have already begun submitting their plans for vaccine distribution to the federal government. Initially, it's expected vaccines will go to people in high-risk groups such as medical personnel, frontline workers and nursing home residents and staff.
Trump's election-eve drug discounts for seniors get snagged
Read full article: Trump's election-eve drug discounts for seniors get snaggedA White House official had no comment on the status of the prescription cards, which Trump announced with a flourish last month during a health care speech in Charlotte, N.C. We will provide more information about the prescription drug cards soon.โOne administration official said the odds are 75-25 the plan will not happen. Among them:โ The White House asserted that Medicare could legally send out the discount cards under its authority to conduct โdemonstration programsโ testing new ideas. The $200 would test if extra cash made seniors more likely to stay on their medications and avoid costly hospitalizations. โIt would do relatively little for seniors with truly catastrophic prescription drug expenses,โ she said.
Trump's $200 prescription cards won't hit mailboxes just yet
Read full article: Trump's $200 prescription cards won't hit mailboxes just yetMedicare enrollees can get prescription drug coverage by purchasing a โPart Dโ drug plan or by joining a Medicare Advantage plan. Announcing the savings cards Thursday at a speech in Charlotte, N.C., Trump called it a โhistoric provisionโ to benefit seniors. โThese cards are incredible.โUsing Trump's figure of 33 million people getting the $200 cards, the cost would work out to $6.6 billion, not including administrative expenses. The White House says the prescription cards are definitely coming. Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, coauthor of the bipartisan drug cost bill that stalled even with the president's endorsement, called the whole exercise a gimmick.
Dem report: Medicare chief used fed money to bolster image
Read full article: Dem report: Medicare chief used fed money to bolster imageThe consultants, many with Republican Party ties, billed taxpayers up to $380 per hour on work largely aimed at polishing the profile of Medicare administrator Seema Verma, the investigators wrote. The contractors were โhandpickedโ by Verma's aides, the report said, creating โa shadow operation" that sidelined the communications staff of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. โCongress did not intend for Administrator Verma or other senior CMS officials to use taxpayer dollars to stockpile CMS with handpicked consultants or promote Administrator Vermaโs public profile and personal brand,โ the report said. โGiven the reckless disregard she has shown for the publicโs trust, Administrator Verma should reimburse the taxpayers for these inappropriate expenditures,โ it said. The report released Thursday was prepared by the Democratic staffs of two Senate and two House committees.
Fad or future? Telehealth expansion eyed beyond pandemic
Read full article: Fad or future? Telehealth expansion eyed beyond pandemicBefore the pandemic, Medicare rules required her make regular two-hour, one-way trips to New Hampshire to meet with her doctor to discuss her treatment. (AP Photo/Wilson Ring)WASHINGTON โ Telehealth is a bit of American ingenuity that seems to have paid off in the coronavirus pandemic. Telehealth visits dropped with the reopening, but they're still far more common than before. As the government's flagship health care program, Medicare covers more than 60 million people, including those age 65 and older, and younger disabled people. Expanded Medicare telehealth could:โhelp move the nation closer to a long-sought goal of treating mental health the same as physical conditions.
Trump wants broader role for telehealth services in Medicare
Read full article: Trump wants broader role for telehealth services in MedicareThe order President Donald Trump plans to sign Monday applies to one segment of Medicare recipients people living in rural communities. Taken together, the steps are modest far short of the health plan Trump promised when he was elected but has not been able to deliver. The telehealth measure directs the departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, as well as other agencies, to work together to promote the availability of services in rural communities. And it aims to permanently expand the kinds of services that can be provided via telehealth. Medicare has greatly expanded coverage of telehealth across the country as part of its emergency plan to confront the coronavirus pandemic.
Medicare coverage for Alzheimer brain scans in question
Read full article: Medicare coverage for Alzheimer brain scans in questionA big study to help Medicare officials decide whether to start covering brain scans to check for Alzheimers disease missed its goals for curbing health care costs, calling into question whether the pricey tests are worth it. Advocates for coverage say they hope to persuade the agency that the scans still offer benefits even if they dont save much or any money. They were given scans and compared to Medicare recipients who were similar in age, sex and other factors but not given scans. If it was any other disease, people would want a specific diagnosis" and the scans give that, he said. But with a blood test on the horizon for diagnosing the disease, relying on scans may become a moot issue, he said.
With no new law to curb drug costs, Trump tries own changes
Read full article: With no new law to curb drug costs, Trump tries own changesAt a White House ceremony Friday, Trump signed four executive orders. Friday's event was definitely not the bill-signing the White House had once hoped for. Neither side in Congress has had an incentive to deal, and the White House has been unable to work Trump's will. Another Gallup-West Health survey found 65% saying the Trump administration had made little or no progress limiting increases in prescription drug costs. Drugmakers are particularly leery of the approach, since Democrats want to use it more broadly to allow Medicare to directly negotiate prices.