Medicare and Aging: Nov. 14, 2024
KFF Health News Sues To Force Disclosure of Medicare Advantage Audit Records
Fred Schulte
Freedom of Information Act case targets HHS inspector general’s reviews of billions of dollars in health plan overpayments.
Watchdog Calls for Tighter Scrutiny of Medicare Advantage Home Visits
Fred Schulte
Medicare officials defend the use of home visits that often spot medical conditions that are never treated.
Trump’s White House Return Poised To Tangle Health Care Safety Net
Stephanie Armour
The new Trump administration is likely to reduce subsidies for Affordable Care Act insurance plans and roll back Medicaid coverage. Public health authorities worry that anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be empowered.
In Vermont, Where Almost Everyone Has Insurance, Many Can’t Find or Afford Care
Phil Galewitz
Vermont has one of the lowest uninsured rates in the U.S., even though its residents pay some of the highest health insurance costs. Still, most of its hospitals are losing money and patients often face long waits for care.
Election Outcome Could Bring Big Changes to Medicare
Stephanie Armour
Democrats and conservatives are divided over whether the federal health program for people over 65 should be run almost entirely by the private sector. If Trump retakes the White House, the shift to Medicare Advantage may accelerate.
Trump Wants Harris To Pay a Political Price for Generous Immigrant Health Policies
Joanne Kenen
Several Democratic-led states have expanded public insurance programs to cover immigrants in the U.S. regardless of legal status. Donald Trump is trying to blame Kamala Harris for the policies.
Vance Wrongly Blames Rural Hospital Closures on Immigrants in the Country Illegally
Sam Whitehead
Experts disputed the claim by Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, noting that a range of other issues — from low reimbursement rates to declining patient use — combine to cause these facilities to shutter.
Medicare Drug Plans Are Getting Better Next Year. Some Will Also Cost More.
Susan Jaffe
Every year, Medicare officials encourage beneficiaries to shop around for their drug coverage. Few take the time. This year, it might be more important than ever.
Patients Are Relying on Lyft, Uber To Travel Far Distances to Medical Care
Michael Scaturro
Uber and Lyft have become a critical part of the nation’s infrastructure for transporting ailing people from their homes — even in rural areas — to medical care sites in major cities such as Atlanta.
Yet Another Promise for Long-Term Care Coverage
As part of her presidential campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris has rolled out a plan for Medicare to provide in-home long-term care services. The proposal would fill a longtime need for families trying to simultaneously care for young children and older parents, but its enormous price tag makes it a promise unlikely to be fulfilled. Meanwhile, a growing number of Republican candidates up and down the ballot facing voter backlash over their support for abortion restrictions are trying to reinvent their positions. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, excerpts from a KFF lunch with “Shark Tank” panelist and generic drug discounter Mark Cuban, who has been consulting with the Harris campaign about health care issues.
Older Americans Living Alone Often Rely on Neighbors or Others Willing To Help
Judith Graham
Diverse networks of friends, former co-workers, neighbors, and extended family are often essential sources of support for older adults living alone. Often it is the elderly caring for the elderly.
Florida Medical Device Maker Exactech Declares Bankruptcy
Fred Schulte
The company faces more than 2,000 lawsuits alleging it sold defective knee and hip implants.
California Continues Progressive Policies, With Restraint, in Divisive Election Year
Don Thompson
This legislative cycle, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bills affirming reproductive rights and mandating insurance coverage of in vitro fertilization, but the Democrat was reluctant to impose new regulations and frequently cited costs for vetoing bills.
Millions of Aging Americans Are Facing Dementia by Themselves
Judith Graham
In a health care system that assumes older adults have family caregivers to help them, those facing dementia by themselves often fall through the cracks.
Montana Looks To Fast-Track Medicaid Access for Older Applicants
Katheryn Houghton
As Montana’s population ages, providers serving low-income seniors say more people aren’t getting the care they need as they wait to get on Medicaid. Montana lawmakers are considering creating a shortcut to that care.
Older Men’s Connections Often Wither When They’re on Their Own
Judith Graham
Older men who find themselves living alone tend to have fewer close personal relationships than older women. They’re vulnerable, physically and emotionally, but often reluctant to ask for help.
El regreso de Trump a la Casa Blanca pondría en peligro la red de seguridad de atención médica
Stephanie Armour
El triunfo electoral del ex presidente Donald Trump y su regreso a la Casa Blanca probablemente traerán cambios que reducirían los programas nacionales de salud públicos, aumentando la tasa de personas sin seguro e imponiendo nuevas barreras al aborto y otros servicios de salud reproductiva.
Trump quiere que Harris pague un precio político por ofrecer salud a inmigrantes sin papeles
Joanne Kenen
Estados liderados por demócratas, como Illinois, están abriendo cada vez más programas de seguros públicos a inmigrantes sin papeles.
Beneficiarios de Medicare gastarán menos en medicamentos en 2025
Susan Jaffe
El período de inscripción anual para que los beneficiarios de Medicare renueven o cambien su cobertura de medicamentos, o elijan un plan Medicare Advantage, comenzó el 15 de octubre y se extiende hasta el 7 de diciembre.