Beneficiarios de Medicare gastarán menos en medicamentos en 2025
By Susan Jaffe
October 21, 2024
KFF Health News Original
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.
TV’s Dr. Oz Invested in Businesses Regulated by Agency Trump Wants Him To Lead
By Darius Tahir
November 21, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz recently held broad investments in health care, tech, and food companies. Were he confirmed to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, his job would involve interacting with giants of the industry that have contributed to his wealth.
An Arm and a Leg: The Medicare Episode
By Dan Weissmann
March 11, 2024
Podcast
On this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann breaks down the complicated and expensive world of Medicare with practical tips to pick the right plan and avoid penalties.
Nuevos planes de Medicare Advantage adaptan ofertas para asiáticos, latinos y LGTBQ+
By Stephanie Stephens
September 28, 2023
KFF Health News Original
A medida que Medicare Advantage gana popularidad entre los adultos mayores, tres compañías del sur de California están lanzando nuevos planes que se enfocan en comunidades culturales y étnicas, con ofertas especiales y profesionales que hablan su idioma nativo.
Es el momento de revisar el plan de Medicare. Lo nuevo que hay que saber
By Julie Appleby
October 16, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Desde el 15 de octubre y hasta el 7 de diciembre, los afiliados al programa tradicional o a los planes de Medicare Advantage, que ofrecen aseguradoras privadas, pueden cambiar su cobertura.
Did Your Health Plan Rip Off Medicare?
By Fred Schulte
January 27, 2023
KFF Health News Original
KHN has released never-before-seen details of federal audits as the government weighs action against dozens of Medicare Advantage plans.
Vance Wrongly Blames Rural Hospital Closures on Immigrants in the Country Illegally
By Sam Whitehead
October 29, 2024
KFF Health News Original
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 Enrollees Can Switch Coverage Now. Here’s What’s New and What to Consider.
By Julie Appleby
October 16, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Fall is the time when enrollees in the federal program for older people and people with certain disabilities can make changes to their health and drug plans. The decision can be complicated, but here are some key points to keep in mind.
An Arm and a Leg: Attack of the Medicare Machines
By Dan Weissmann
April 10, 2024
Podcast
In this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann tells a horror story. Instead of monsters and aliens, it’s about private health insurance companies and algorithms that call the shots on patient care.
Dodging the Medicare Enrollment Deadline Can Be Costly
By Susan Jaffe
December 7, 2023
KFF Health News Original
As open enrollment ends, many people are tuning out. They could wind up with a surprise next year: higher costs and less access to health care providers.
Proposed Medicare Advantage Changes Cannot Accurately Be Called ‘Cuts,’ Experts Say
By Madison Czopek, PolitiFact Yacob Reyes, PolitiFact
February 22, 2023
KFF Health News Original
CMS advanced two proposed changes that could affect Medicare Advantage plans. One would allow the government to recover past overpayments. As a result, it could reduce those insurers’ profits, leading them to increase enrollees’ out-of-pocket costs or reduce benefits. But it’s inaccurate to characterize the changes as “cuts.”
Biden Cracks Down on Prior Authorization — But There Are Limits
By Lauren Sausser
January 18, 2024
KFF Health News Original
More than a year after it was initially proposed, the Biden administration announced a final rule yesterday that will change how insurers in federal programs such as Medicare Advantage use prior authorization — a long-standing system that prevents many patients from accessing doctor-recommended care. “When a doctor says a patient needs a procedure, it is […]
Whistleblower Accuses Aledade, Largest US Independent Primary Care Network, of Medicare Fraud
By Fred Schulte
March 5, 2024
KFF Health News Original
A recently unsealed lawsuit alleges Aledade Inc. developed billing software that boosted revenues by making patients appear sicker than they were.
Medicare Expands the Roster of Available Mental Health Professionals
By Judith Graham
November 3, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Medicare is expanding access to mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists come Jan. 1. But the belief that seniors who suffer from mental health problems should just grin and bear it remains a troubling barrier to care.
How Medicare Advantage Plans Dodged Auditors and Overcharged Taxpayers by Millions
By Fred Schulte Holly K. Hacker
December 13, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Facing rare scrutiny from federal auditors, some Medicare Advantage health plans failed to produce any records to justify their payments, government records show. The audits revealed millions of dollars in overcharges to Medicare over three years.
Medicare Drug Plans Are Getting Better Next Year. Some Will Also Cost More.
By Susan Jaffe
October 21, 2024
KFF Health News Original
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.
Audits — Hidden Until Now — Reveal Millions in Medicare Advantage Overcharges
By Fred Schulte Holly K. Hacker
November 21, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Taxpayers had to foot the bills for care that should have cost far less, according to records released after KHN filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act. The government may seek to recover up to $650 million as a result.
Lawsuit by KHN Prompts Government to Release Medicare Advantage Audits
By Fred Schulte
October 14, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The lawsuit was filed three years ago to learn about vast overcharges by the popular health plans that are detailed in audits the government refused to release to the public.
Medicare’s Push To Improve Chronic Care Attracts Businesses, but Not Many Doctors
By Phil Galewitz Holly K. Hacker
April 18, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Most Medicare enrollees have two or more chronic health conditions, making them eligible for a federal program that rewards physicians for doing more to manage their care. It shows promise in reducing costs. But not many doctors have joined.
Will CMS Crack Down on Prior Authorization?
By Lauren Sausser
January 9, 2024
KFF Health News Original
There’s the Idaho doctor whose infant daughter developed a brain tumor. A woman in Southern California who waited months for an MRI before dying in the hospital. And a North Carolina patient who has trigeminal neuralgia — a condition so painful it’s commonly called the “suicide disease.” They all have something in common, aside from […]
