Some Experts Dispute Claims Of Looming Doctor Shortage
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants can fill some primary care gaps, but specialists say an aging population will need more intensive care.
Seniors’ Obesity-Counseling Benefit Goes Largely Unused
Experts say low reimbursements and restrictions on providers have hampered the Medicare program.
Study: American Seniors Face Health Care Gaps, Despite Medicare
The Commonwealth Fund finds cost barriers and limits on care for Medicare beneficiaries consistently places the U.S. low on the list of an 11-nation ranking of how older people fare in industrialized nations.
California’s Managed Care Project For Poor Seniors Faces Backlash
Nearly half of those eligible for a combined Medi-Cal and Medicare program are opting out.
What To Know About Medicare’s Enrollment Period
Though not a part of the health law’s open enrollment period, Medicare’s enrollment period runs during some of the same time period. Changes to Medicare advantage and the so-called Medicare prescription drug “doughnut hole” are taking center stage.
Medicare Proposes Coverage Of Low-Dose CT Scans To Detect Lung Cancer
Beneficiaries who have a 30-year, pack-a-day smoking history would be eligible for this screening test.
L.A. County Health Department Allegedly Falsified Nursing Home Probe Records
Two staffers accuse the county of altering the dates when complaints were received amid rising concern over the pace of investigations.
ALS Patients Win Fight Over Medicare Reimbursement For Speech Devices
Medicare announced Thursday it would continue covering devices that patients themselves can upgrade.
An interview with Consumer Reports’ Nancy Metcalf, author of a new guide to end-of-life planning.
More Scrutiny Coming For Medicare Advantage, Obamacare
Federal officials are planning a wide range of audits into billing and government spending on managed health care in the new fiscal year, ranging from private Medicare Advantage groups that treat millions of elderly to health plans rapidly expanding under the Affordable Care Act.
California Audit Finds Backlog Of 11,000 Nursing Home Investigations
California’s public health department has failed to adequately manage investigations of nursing homes statewide, resulting in a backlog of more than 11,000 complaints, according to an audit released Thursday.
Disabled Vt. Senior Wins Medicare Coverage After 2nd Lawsuit
On Wednesday, Medicare officials agreed to pay for Glenda Jimmo’s home health care, reversing an earlier denial that said she didn’t qualify for coverage because she was not improving.
L.A. County Officials Demand Details On Reduced Nursing Home Penalties
The order follows a Kaiser Health News report detailing three fatal cases in which sources say recommended nursing home citations were downgraded.
Medicare Changes Could Limit Patient Access To ALS Communication Tools
Patient advocates say that, because of an official coverage reminder “the door is closing” for ALS patients who depend on Medicare to get speech-generation devices.
The Lowdown On Open Enrollment For Medicare Advantage And Part D
Kaiser Health News’ Julie Rovner hosted a webinar Tuesday to provide background to reporters covering Medicare Advantage and Part D issues through open enrollment and beyond.
Disabled Vt. Senior Who Led Class Action Suit Sues Medicare — Again
The landmark settlement was supposed to be a victory for Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions and disabilities who had been denied coverage for skilled care because they didn’t meet “the improvement standard” — meaning they were unlikely to improve. But when Glenda Jimmo was denied coverage this spring for that same reason, her lawyers filed a second lawsuit.
L.A. County Officials Allegedly Reduced Penalties In 3 Nursing Home Deaths
The cases appear to flesh out an auditor’s finding in August that citations recommended by inspectors were downgraded without explanation.
Many Medicare Outpatients Pay More At Rural Hospitals, Federal Report Says
An investigation by the HHS inspector general says beneficiaries getting the treatments at “critical access” hospitals pay between two and six times more than those at other hospitals.
Turning 65? 9 Tips For Signing Up For Medicare
A consumer reporter shares what she learned when getting ready to join the federal health plan for seniors.
Medicare Fines 2,610 Hospitals In Third Round Of Readmission Penalties
Although fewer patients are now returning to the hospital within a month, the fines reached a record level this year.
