Doctors Make Big Money Testing Urine For Drugs, Then Ignore Abnormal Results
Medicare and insurers struggle to oversee a booming business in testing urine samples. In some cases, pain doctors’ lack of follow-through can turn fatal.
Medicare
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Heated And Deep-Pocketed Battle Erupts Over 340B Drug Discount Program
Drugmakers, hospitals and lawmakers are taking sides in a showdown over a discount program that covers drug purchases at some hospitals.
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Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ Tax Bill Or Health Bill?
Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Sarah Kliff of Vox.com, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo discuss the inclusion of health policies into the current tax cut debate, including a possible repeal of the fines for people who fail to maintain health insurance.
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Medicare Seeks Comment On Ways To Cut Costs Of Part D Drugs
Medicare is examining how rebates and discounts could be shared in some way with Part D beneficiaries to reduce their out-of-pocket costs.
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Pressure Builds To Cut Medicare Patients In On Prescription Deals
Medicare officials have been discussing a rule change that would give beneficiaries a share of the secretive fees and discounts that are negotiated for prescription drugs.
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Liquid Gold: Pain Doctors Soak Up Profits By Screening Urine For Drugs
With the nation's opioid crisis, urine testing has become a booming business and is especially lucrative for doctors who operate their own labs, a Kaiser Health News investigation finds. And dozens of practitioners have earned "the lion’s share" of their Medicare income exclusively from urine drug screens.
By Fred Schulte and Elizabeth Lucas -
‘No One Is Coming’: Hospice Patients Abandoned At Death’s Door
U.S. hospice agencies promise to be available around-the-clock to help patients dying in their homes. But a Kaiser Health News investigation shows that in an alarming number of cases, that promise is broken.
By JoNel Aleccia and Melissa Bailey -
Medicare Vs. Medicare Advantage: How To Choose
Despite Medicare Advantage plans’ increasing popularity, several key features remain poorly understood. Here is what you need to know.
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A Few Pointers To Help Save Money And Avoid The Strain Of Medicare Enrollment
Most beneficiaries have from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 to decide on drug coverage and whether to switch from traditional Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan.
By Susan Jaffe -
Social Security Giveth, Medical Costs Taketh Away
Out-of-pocket health costs eat up about 18 percent of retirees' incomes.
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Despite Boost In Social Security, Rising Medicare Part B Costs Leave Seniors In Bind
With higher premiums on tap for many Medicare enrollees, here’s help figuring out the particulars of the Part B puzzle and how it affects you.
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Heart Device Failure: Medicare Spent $1.5B Over 10 Years To Replace Defective Implants
The inspector general at Health and Human Services says defective pacemakers or defibrillators had to be replaced from 2005 through 2014, costing Medicare $1.5 billion.
By Fred Schulte and Christina Jewett -
Money-Saving Offer For Medicare’s Late Enrollees Is Expiring. Can They Buy Time?
Sept. 30 marks the end of Medicare’s temporary offer to waive penalties for certain late Medicare enrollees with Affordable Care Act insurance coverage.
By Susan Jaffe -
Nursing Home Disaster Plans Often Faulted As ‘Paper Tigers’
Too often enforcement of rules for dealing with crisis is lax, advocates for nursing home residents say.
By Jordan Rau -
Quiz: How Well Are You Paying Attention?
To strengthen your core knowledge of health care policy, it helps to be a regular reader of Kaiser Health News. Here's a pop quiz to gauge what you have learned.
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Shedding New Light On Hospice Care: No Need To Wait For The ‘Brink Of Death’
Hospice care often prompts fear and misunderstanding, but the services provided can lead to less pain and trauma at the end of life.
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Repeal & Replace Watch
5 Outside-The-Box Ideas For Fixing The Individual Insurance Market
As lawmakers look for ways to stabilize the health law marketplaces, a number of ideas — such as expanding who can “buy in” to Medicare and Medicaid or pushing young adults off their parents’ plans into the marketplaces — might come into play.
By Julie Rovner -
Medicare Unveils ‘Skeletal’ Site For Hospice Comparison Shopping
This is the first federal website designed to help families choose a hospice, but experts aren’t impressed.
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End-Of-Life Advice: More Than 500,000 Chat On Medicare’s Dime
In the first year of payments for advance-care planning sessions, once decried as ”death panels,“ use is higher than expected, new data show.
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Florida Law Will Let Patients Get All Their Drug Renewals At The Same Time
The new law will help people with chronic conditions that require multiple prescriptions cut down on their shuttles to the drug store and could improve adherence to their drugs.