Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
It's A Good Time For Seniors To Evaluate Their Medicare Part D Plan
The Sacramento Bee: Medicare Sticker Shock: Soaring Drug Prices Could Trip Up Seniors
It’s the official start of a once-a-year window when seniors can switch their Part C (hospital/medical care) and Part D (prescription drug) plans. Those who ignore the open enrollment season, which runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, could wind up paying hundreds of dollars in unnecessary prescription drug charges next year, especially as some drug prices have soared in recent months, say Medicare experts. It’s also a potentially treacherous period, when scammers and predatory insurance agents ramp up their efforts to steal seniors’ Medicare numbers or entice them into costly, inappropriate coverage. (Buck, 10/1)
Kaiser Health News: Hospital Care Unaffected By Quality Payments, GAO Finds
Medicare’s quality incentive program for hospitals, which provides bonuses and penalties based on performance, has not led to demonstrated improvements in its first three years, according to a federal report released Thursday. (Rau, 10/2)
CQ Roll Call: Government Payment For End-Of-Life Counseling Draws More Support Than Criticism
Medicare officials received more support than criticism for a plan to pay health care providers for time spent counseling people about their medical options in case of terminal illness or failing health, an approach that was derided in the past as a path toward so-called death panels. About 500 comments submitted on a 2016 Medicare rule for paying physicians supported end-of-life counseling, with most calling on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to finalize a plan to create a new payment category, CQ Roll Call found in a review of comments posted publicly as of last week. About 100 comments raised objections. Medicare officials will make their final decision as part of the broader rule on payments to physicians, which will be unveiled this month. Powerful lobbying groups, including AARP, the American Bar Association and the American Heart Association, were among those pressing for the creation of the payment.(Young, 10/1)
