Seniors Get a Break On Medicare Part B Premiums
KHN staff writer Mary Agnes Carey reports that most beneficiaries face only a small boost in their monthly premiums next year, and some will enjoy decreases, Obama administration officials announced.
Defense and Docs: Perfect Together?
It is often said that politics makes strange bedfellows. That’s especially true with the high-stakes budget discussions surrounding the congressional deficit reduction panel. As physicians seek to forestall cuts in Medicare payments, their interests may be aligned with the defense industry as both press the super committee to strike a deal. They would both benefit from […]
Medical Imaging Advocates Fight Proposals Requiring Advance Authorization
As the congressional super committee considers ways to cut Medicare spending, one issue that has been raised is to cut back on imaging services that some experts say are overused by physicians. But an industry study released Tuesday maintains that one tactic that has been suggested — the use of prior authorization for imaging services – doesn’t save money. The […]
CLASS Dismissed: Obama Administration Pulls Plug On Long-Term Care Program
KHN staff writers Julie Appleby and Mary Agnes Carey report that federal officials have effectively shut down part of the health care law aimed to help consumers pay for long-term care.
Minorities Would Be Hard Hit By Medicaid Cuts, Study Warns
Blacks and Latinos would be among those hardest hit if Medicaid funding were cut as part of a deficit-reduction package, according to a new report released today by Families USA, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Council of La Raza, among others. In these communities, more than one in four people […]
Sweating The Details: Health Reform Supporters Fret Over HHS Rules
Some consumer and patient advocates worry that the administration is bending too much toward insurers and employers when it issues new health regulations.
What The ‘Super Committee’ Might Mean For Medicare
Have you put the summer’s deficit reduction agreement and the upcoming “super committee” out of your mind? With Labor Day approaching, it’s time to pay attention again. The panel’s deliberations, expected to start soon after Congress returns next week from its August recess, could have sweeping implications for government health programs, including Medicare, which covers 48 […]
The ‘Super Committee’ And The Devil You Know
Health care groups, nervous about the debt deal’s “super committee” deliberations that begin next week, are likely to fare far better under a series of automatic cuts than any agreement the panel may reach. At least that’s the opinion of Washington insider Christopher Jennings, a former Clinton administration health care adviser. “Washington’s governing precept is that the devil you […]
Caveat Emptor: New Budget Projections Assume End Of ‘Doc Fixes’
Updated at on Aug. 25 at 3:48 p.m. New figures released by the Congressional Budget Office today include a budget assumption that almost never comes true: The imposition of steep Medicare cuts for physicians. The CBO’s new baseline projections of the federal budget find reason to be hopeful, estimating that cumulative deficits will reach $3.5 trillion between 2012 and […]
Danforth On Super Committee’s Task: ‘The Problem Is The Cost Of Health Care’
The Republican former senator talks with KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey about the politics of deficit-cutting commissions and what it will take to tackle the ballooning federal deficit.
FAQ: ‘Super Committee’ Could Have Big Impact On Medicare, Medicaid Spending
A guide to how the congressional “super” committee’s deliberations could influence Medicare and Medicaid.
Hospitals, Nurses Group Lash Out At Debt Deal
As provider groups dig into the details of the debt ceiling compromise struck over the weekend, some aren’t too happy. “We could not be for this legislation, because it as an arbitrary, automatic reduction … that is for fiscal reasons that have nothing to do with health policy. And we can’t support that,” Chip Kahn, […]
At Age 46, Is Medicare Ripe For A Change?
Seven experts explore what it would take to muster the political will to revamp the popular health care program.
Trends To Watch For Curbing Health Costs
Industry mergers, doctor-hospital cooperation, new payment models are among the changes identified by six health care experts.
Drug Industry Rebates: The Sequel
Note to drug makers: Just in case you thought you’d be spared as part of the debt ceiling talks, think again. At a Friday news conference President Barack Obama made it clear that drug industry rebates to Medicare are very much in the mix as negotiators try to find ways to reduce federal spending on entitlement programs. […]
Tauzin: Home Health Care Is ‘Not An Elective Thing’
Former House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin has some advice for Republicans who want Medicare beneficiaries to pick up part of the tab for home health services: It won’t work. “[Home health] is not an elective thing. You get assigned to it by your doctor. You have to have it or otherwise you’re in the hospital […]
List Of Potential Medicare And Medicaid Cuts Stirs Washington
Washington is abuzz about a spreadsheet that was leaked this morning outlining potential Medicare and Medicaid savings that could end up in a deal to raise the federal debt ceiling. The summary is an outline of areas that House and Senate negotiators discussed during debt ceiling negotiations with Vice President Joe Biden, House Majority Leader […]
Governors Wary Of ‘Blending’ Federal Contribution To Medicaid, CHIP
If a deal to reduce the deficit results in lower federal payments to states for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, then the National Governors Association will say no thanks. That’s what NGA chair and Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire suggested Friday. As part of the ongoing negotiations between the White House and Capitol Hill, one proposal would combine […]
In The Capitol Corridors: Democrats Weigh Politics Of Health Cuts
Rep. Jim McDermott has some advice for Democrats who support Medicare and Medicaid cuts as part of a deal to raise the federal debt ceiling: Beware of the 30-second television spot. “Any Democrat who votes for it opens himself or herself up to Murphy’s Law,” warns the 12-term Washington Democrat, who is one of 20 […]
Rockefeller Says He Will Fight ‘To The End’ Against Medicaid Cuts-The KHN Interview
W.Va. senator is working to raise defenses against efforts in the deficit reduction talks to reduce funding for the health care program that covers the poor and disabled.
