Morning Briefing for Tuesday, December 13, 2022
December 13, 2022
Morning Briefing
Tuesday’s roundup covers covid vaccines, Medicare Advantage plans, diabetes, misinformation, opioids, abortion law, screen time, and more.
SmileDirectClub Customers Lose Support After Abrupt Shutdown
December 13, 2023
Morning Briefing
Axios reports on the problems facing people who’ve bought teeth-alignment systems from SmileDirectClub, which suddenly collapsed. Separately, Medicare Advantage beneficiaries filed a class-action suit against Humana over alleged use of an algorithm to cut off rehabilitation care payments.
PBMs Placed In The Crosshairs
May 18, 2023
Morning Briefing
While a House subcommittee advances a bill to make pharmacy benefit managers’ business more transparent, the FTC widens its probe into their impact on drug prices. Separately, some senators are probing Medicare Advantage plans.
Cyberattack Has Prolonged Impact On Hospital System In Several States
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Prospect Medical Holdings is experiencing outages of key computer systems more than two weeks after a cyberattack. Among other news: Mayo Clinic is continuing its expansion; Axios says rural hospitals are experiencing a “squeeze” from Medicare Advantage; and more.
Senators Propose Medicare Hospital Incentives To Relieve Drug Shortages
January 26, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Senate Finance Committee released a paper Thursday that floats multiple legislative proposals for fixing the current national crisis over prescription drug shortages, including bonuses to hospitals that take steps to fend off shortfalls. Separately, Sen. Elizabeth Warren is urging the White House to take steps to tackle Medicare Advantage overpayments and denials.
Consejos para inscribirse bien en Medicare durante la complicada inscripción abierta
By Bernard J. Wolfson
November 24, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Medicare se reduce fundamentalmente a dos alternativas: la tarifa por servicio del Medicare Tradicional o el enfoque de atención administrada de Medicare Advantage.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Compromise Is Coming — Maybe
November 4, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Democratic negotiators on Capitol Hill appear to be nearing a compromise on President Joe Biden’s social spending agenda, spurred partly by Democratic losses on Election Day in Virginia. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court hints it might allow abortion providers to sue Texas over its restrictive new ban. But the relief, if it comes, could be short-lived if the court uses a second case, challenging a law in Mississippi, to weaken or overturn Roe v. Wade. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Rae Ellen Bichell, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature about an emergency bill for a nonemergency birth.
‘That’s Just Part of Aging’: Long Covid Symptoms Are Often Overlooked in Seniors
By Judith Graham
May 18, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Millions of older adults are grappling with long covid, yet the impact on them has received little attention even though research suggests seniors are more likely to develop the poorly understood condition than younger or middle-aged adults.
Cigna Is In Advanced Talks To Sell Its Medicare Business
January 4, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Wall Street Journal explains the deal is an about-face for the giant health insurer, which has been expanding its footprint in the sector. The deal for Medicare Advantage is said to be with Health Care Service Corp. and worth up to $4 billion. Also in the news: problems for some asthma patients from new Medicaid rebate rules.
Having Private Medicare Doesn’t Mean It’s Easy To Find A Psychiatrist: Study
July 6, 2023
Morning Briefing
More than half of the counties in a new study lacked even a single psychiatrist participating in a Medicare Advantage plan, The New York Times reports. Meanwhile, Eli Lilly is now the world’s biggest health care company by market value, beating UnitedHealth.
Morning Briefing for Thursday, December 15, 2022
December 15, 2022
Morning Briefing
Thursday’s roundup covers Medicare Advantage, free covid tests, 2002 U.S. deaths, rising health costs, overdoses, mental health, and more.
Readers and Tweeters Remain Vigilant on Masking and Billing
By Terry Byrne
March 16, 2022
KFF Health News Original
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
¿Por qué Medicare no paga por las pruebas caseras para covid?
By Michelle Andrews
January 24, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Las mismas leyes del programa para los adultos mayores previenen que puedan comprar medicamentos de venta libre y obtener este tipo de pruebas sin una orden médica.
CMS Takes Aim At Growing Problem Of Misleading Medicare Advantage Ads
December 15, 2022
Morning Briefing
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed a rule to ban some deceitful advertising by Medicare Advantage plans that use confusing imagery or language or don’t name the health insurance plan’s name. The growing number of such ads have led people to sign up for plans that don’t cover their doctors or prescriptions.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Crisis Is Officially Ending, but Covid Confusion Lives On
May 11, 2023
Podcast
The public health emergency declaration for covid-19 ends May 11, ushering in major changes in how Americans can access and pay for the vaccines, treatments, and tests particular to the culprit coronavirus. But not everyone will experience the same changes, creating a confusing patchwork of coverage — not unlike health coverage for other diseases. Meanwhile, outside advisers to the FDA formally recommended allowing a birth control pill to be sold without a prescription. If the FDA follows the recommendation, it would represent the first over-the-counter form of hormonal contraception. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus for “extra credit” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.
Centene’s Medicare Advantage Quality Scores Missed Their Targets
October 26, 2022
Morning Briefing
The scores were worse than executives expected. Modern Healthcare reports that the insurer is hiring a chief quality officer as a result. Separately, Cigna’s Express Scripts reportedly won Centene’s pharmacy benefit manager contract.
West Virginia Sen. Manchin Takes the Teeth Out of Democrats’ Plan for Seniors’ Dental Care
By Phil Galewitz
December 10, 2021
KFF Health News Original
In West Virginia, older residents often go without dental care, and a quarter of people 65 and older have no natural teeth, the highest rate of any state in the country. But a powerful senator from West Virginia, Joe Manchin, has rebuffed efforts to add a dental benefit to Medicare.
Despite Seniors’ Strong Desire to Age in Place, the Village Model Remains a Boutique Option
By Judith Graham
March 14, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Membership-based villages help arrange services for seniors — such as handyman help or transportation to appointments — and provide social connections through classes, leisure opportunities, or community events. Despite great promise, they have been slow to expand because of difficulties raising funding and keeping people interested.
Misleading Ads Driving People To Sign Up For Medicare Advantage Plans
November 7, 2022
Morning Briefing
Medicare beneficiaries are being warned to look out for deceptive Medicare Advantage marketing — some of which provides misleading information on savings or doctor networks and may not fit patients’ needs.
Big Health Insurers Plan Legal Battle Over Biden Medicare Advantage Audits
January 11, 2023
Morning Briefing
Stat reports that at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, Humana, Centene, and CVS Health-Aetna executives explained concerns over upcoming final rules on audits, also known as risk adjustment data validation. Meanwhile, the New York nurses strike entered a second day, among other news.
