Medicare and Aging: Oct. 4, 2024
Harris Correct That Trump Fell Short on Promise To Negotiate Medicare Drug Prices
By Jacob Gardenswartz
The former president instead favored a temporary model that could’ve brought down prices of some prescription drugs, but it was blocked by the courts.
The Medicare Advantage Influence Machine
By Fred Schulte and Holly K. Hacker
New court filings and lobbying reports reveal an industry drive to tamp down critics — and retain billions of dollars in overcharges.
American Health Under Trump — Past, Present, and Future
Dreaming of a Trump victory, Republicans have a wish list of health policy changes — including loosening Affordable Care Act regulations to make cheaper coverage available and ending Medicare drug price negotiations. Meanwhile, after a publicly reported death stemming from a state abortion ban, Vice President Kamala Harris is emphasizing the consequences of Trump’s work to overturn Roe v. Wade. Tami Luhby of CNN, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Joanne Kenen of Politico and Johns Hopkins University join KFF Health News senior editor Emmarie Huetteman to discuss these stories and more.
Longtime Head of L.A. Care To Retire After Navigating Major Medi-Cal Changes
By Bernard J. Wolfson
John Baackes, who steered Medi-Cal’s largest health plan following the Affordable Care Act expansion, and later prepared it for a state overhaul of Medi-Cal, will retire after this year. Baackes believes low payments to doctors and other providers, along with an acute labor shortage, hamper Medi-Cal’s success.
With TV Drug Ads, What You See Is Not Necessarily What You Get
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
The pharmaceutical industry has invented a new art form: finding ways to make their wares seem like joyous must-have treatments, while often minimizing lackluster efficacy and risks.
Historic Numbers of Americans Live by Themselves as They Age
By Judith Graham
Longer life spans, rising rates of divorce, widowhood, and childlessness, and smaller, far-flung families are fueling a “gray revolution” in older adults’ living arrangements. It can have profound health consequences.
In Montana, 911 Calls Reveal Impact of Heat Waves on Rural Seniors
By Aaron Bolton, MTPR
State and local governments are struggling to keep up with the increasing burden of heat-related illness as summers get hotter because of climate change. In Missoula County, Montana, officials are working with researchers to understand trends in heat-related 911 calls.
Journalists Give Insights Into Opioid Settlements and Picking a Nursing Home
KFF Health News and California Healthline staff took to the airwaves recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
En los comerciales de medicamentos en TV, lo que ves no siempre es lo que es
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
Los anuncios de medicamentos han sido omnipresentes en la televisión desde finales de la década de 1990 y se han extendido a internet y las redes sociales. Pocas naciones en el mundo los permiten
La vejez en soledad, así vive un número histórico de estadounidenses
By Judith Graham
Más de 16 millones de estadounidenses viven solos mientras envejecen. Sorprendentemente, se sabe muy poco sobre sus experiencias.