KHN Medicare & Aging

Why So Many Older Americans Rate Their Health As Good Or Even Excellent
By Judith Graham As people advance in age, the expectations for what constitutes good health change. People focus on positive emotions and satisfaction with life, while physical ailments play a less important role.

Never Say ‘Die’: Why So Many Doctors Won’t Break Bad News
By JoNel Aleccia It’s never easy to tell a patient about a terminal illness, but a longtime doctor whose own diagnosis was botched says physicians must do better.

Why Your Perception Of ‘Old’ Changes As You Age
By Bruce Horovitz Boomers are aging reluctantly but, for the most part, gracefully. Many even have found the secret to shaving a decade or more off their physical age.

Social Security Error Jeopardizes Medicare Coverage For 250,000 Seniors
By Susan Jaffe The problem affects private drug policies and Medicare Advantage plans that provide both medical and drug coverage and substitute for traditional government-run Medicare. It could leave plan members without coverage.

Robin Hood To Rescue Of Rural Hospitals? New Math Promised On Medicare Payments
By Sarah Jane Tribble A proposed adjustment to the wage index, used in setting a hospital’s Medicare reimbursement payments, could be a lifeline for some rural facilities.

A Doctor Speaks Out About Ageism In Medicine
By Judith Graham A frank conversation with geriatrician and author Dr. Louise Aronson about medicine’s biased treatment of older adults and what needs to change.

‘Stonewall Generation’ Confronts Old Age, Sickness — And Discrimination
By JoNel Aleccia and Melissa Bailey For a generation of LGBTQ people who lived through unprecedented social change, getting older poses new challenges — lack of services, discrimination, neglect and even abuse.

How To Find And Use New Federal Ratings For Rehab Services At Nursing Homes
By Judith Graham For the first time, the federal government is measuring the quality of rehab services in nursing homes for the millions of older adults who need post-hospitalization care.

Market Muscle: Study Uncovers Differences Between Medicare And Private Insurers
By Shefali Luthra Findings released Thursday by the Rand Corp. highlight how reimbursement rates vary nationally and the impact the charges have on the nation’s high cost of health care. 

Short-Staffed Nursing Homes See Drop In Medicare Ratings
By Jordan Rau and Elizabeth Lucas In its latest update to the Nursing Home Compare website, the government gave 1,638 homes its lowest star rating for staffing — one star on its five-star scale. Most were downgraded because payroll records reported no registered-nurse hours at all for at least four days.

Hospitals Chafe Under Medicare’s New Payment Rule For Off-Campus Clinics
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez Under the rule that took effect this year, Medicare will lower payments for clinic visits performed at hospital-owned facilities to a rate that is equivalent to what it pays an independent doctor. Federal officials expect the move will save the government $380 million this year.

Researchers Seek Sage Advice Of Elders On Aging Issues
By Judith Graham The Bureau of Sages, a group of frail, older adults, gives feedback to researchers about what matters to older adults.

In 10 Years, Half Of Middle-Income Elders Won’t Be Able To Afford Housing, Medical Care
By Victoria Knight An eye-opening study of demographics and income finds that the costs of assisted-living care will soon be out of reach for people on fixed incomes — and their children.

Facebook Live: Inclusive Care at the End of Life: The LGBTQ+ Experience
For a generation of LGBTQ+ people who lived through unprecedented social change, getting older poses new challenges. When it comes to seeking elder care, concerns about lack of services, discrimination, neglect and even abuse threaten to reverse recent progress.