Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicare Part D Buyers Beware: Insurers' 2016 Changes Could Hit Your Wallet
CBS News: Medicare Rx Plan Changes Set A Trap For The Unwary
Many insurance companies offering prescription drug plans under Medicare Part D are implementing cost-cutting measures for 2016. What does that mean for you? (Vernon, 10/14)
The Fiscal Times: The Big Medicare Mystery—Why The Same Service Cost Double In Some Areas?
In the ongoing struggle of policy makers to contain government health care costs, one of the most perplexing challenges has been coping with often huge variations in Medicare spending throughout the country. The government’s cost for providing the same Medicare services to seniors can vary by thousands of dollars, depending on where they live. (Matishak and Pianin, 10/14)
Reuters: U.S. Sued Over Medicare Reimbursement Rate For Hospitals
More than 250 hospitals affiliated with four healthcare systems have sued the U.S. government over its formula for calculating Medicare reimbursement, claiming that they have been systematically underpaid for more than a decade. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the District of Columbia U.S. District Court, claims that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has based its Medicare reimbursement formula on a mistaken calculation going all the way back to 1983. (Pierson, 10/13)
