Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
The Wall Street Journal: Uneasy Rider: Boomer Deaths In Motorcycle Crashes Rise
On a typical day in the U.S., a dozen people die in motorcycle accidents. An increasing number of them are baby boomers. Though the overall U.S. motorcycle toll appears to have leveled off in recent years, deaths have risen among older riders as more of them hit the road. Those 55- to 64-years-old accounted for 16.3% of motorcycle crash deaths in 2013, the latest year for which that breakdown is available. That was down from 17.2% in 2012 but up from 9.3% a decade earlier and less than 3% in the early 1990s. (Hagerty, 12/21)
Kaiser Health News: Medicare To Offer Help To Some Seniors When Advantage Plans Drop Doctors
Starting next year, the government will offer some seniors enrolled in private Medicare Advantage insurance an opportunity to leave those plans if they lose their doctors or other health care providers. Last year, thousands of seniors in at least 10 states were left stranded or assigned new doctors when insurers discontinued contracts with the physicians. (Jaffe, 12/22)
