Medicare & Aging
That ‘Living Will’ You Signed? At The ER, It Could Be Open To Interpretation.
Judith Graham
End-of-life documents express your preferences for care but may not be binding medical orders. Here’s how to better prepare for the unexpected — that your last wishes won’t be carried out.
Medicare Takes Aim At Boomerang Hospitalizations Of Nursing Home Patients
Jordan Rau and Heidi de Marco
One in 5 Medicare patients who leave the hospital for a nursing home end up back in the hospital. To discourage this, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will soon give bonuses and penalties to facilities based on their rehospitalization rates.
Look-Up: Compare Nursing Homes’ Track Records On Boomerang Hospitalizations
Use this tool to see how skilled nursing homes in the U.S. performed on two metrics of quality.
Suspension Of California’s Aid-In-Dying Law Leaves Sick Patients In Limbo
JoNel Aleccia
Doctors have stopped writing lethal prescriptions and pharmacists have stopped filling them after a court fight over how the law was enacted.
Medicare Financial Outlook Worsens
Phil Galewitz
The Medicare board of trustees said the program's hospital insurance trust fund could run out of money by 2026, three years earlier than previously forecast.
‘They Deserve It’: In Foster Homes, Veterans Are Cared For Like Family
Patricia Kime and Lynne Shallcross
With the motto “Where Heroes Meet Angels,” a small Veterans Affairs effort pairs vets in need of nursing home care with caregivers willing to share their homes. Medical foster homes save money, but it’s difficult to find enough spaces for all those who could benefit.
Looking For Lower Medicare Drug Costs? Ask Your Pharmacist For The Cash Price.
Susan Jaffe
Sometimes a drug plan’s copayment is higher than the cash price, and under a little-known federal rule, pharmacists have to tell Medicare beneficiaries that — but only if they ask.
Dodging Dementia: More Of Us Get At Least A Dozen Good, Happy Years After 65
Judith Graham
With longer lives and lower rates of dementia, most seniors are enjoying more years of life with good cognition — a welcome trend.
Drugmakers Blamed For Blocking Generics Have Jacked Up Prices And Cost U.S. Billions
Sydney Lupkin
The Trump administration is shaming brand-name drugmakers who refuse to sell samples so generics can be made from their products.
Will We Still Be Relevant ‘When We’re 64’?
Sharon Jayson
Older adults often feel invisible as their interactions with younger people dwindle and hardly anyone seems to seek their advice. To make matters worse, studies link loneliness to weaker immune systems and poorer physical health.
Lack Of Insurance Exposes Blind Spots In Vision Care
Michelle Andrews
As many as 16 million people in the United States have undiagnosed or uncorrected vision problems that could be fixed with eyeglasses, contact lenses or surgery.
Living Apart Together: A New Option for Older Adults
Judith Graham
Why older couples in supportive, loving, long-term relationships decide to live apart and not get married.
Listless And Lonely In Puerto Rico, Some Older Storm Survivors Consider Suicide
Sarah Varney
More than six months ago, Hurricane Maria upended routines and shuttered services on the island leading to a sense of despair and isolation, especially among older people.
Medicare Beneficiaries Feel The Pinch When They Can’t Use Drug Coupons
Michelle Andrews
Federal law prohibits them from using the coupons drugmakers offer to help patients cover their share of a medicine’s cost.
Family Caregivers Are Getting A Break — And Extra Coaching
Mindy Fetterman and Lynne Shallcross
Across the country, community groups, hospitals and government agencies are stepping in to support the estimated 42 million family caregivers.
New Medicare Perk For Diabetes Prevention Stumbles At Rollout
Judith Graham
On April 1, Medicare launched a major initiative — a diabetes prevention program for seniors and people with serious disabilities— that is available in only a few cities.