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KHN shares the cream of the crop of creative valentines about health policy submitted by readers and tweeters. Our favorite is anointed with an original illustration and bragging rights as “the one.”
When Medicare stops paying for a pricey drug that prolongs life, an Ohio man considers giving up treatment to spare his family enormous debt.
But as The Wall Street Journal reports, using "food as medicine" has raised objections from some who say it is an unnecessary expansion of Medicaid and that it undercuts SNAP funds. Other news is on Medicare and the backlash against the GOP's possible "sunsetting" of it.
Using messaging from his recent State of the Union that is a likely preview of 2024 campaign stump speeches to come, President Joe Biden repeated promises to protect Medicare and Social Security during a visit to Florida. He targeted in particular the health policies of two of the states most prominent Republicans, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Rick Scott.
Insurers, employers, and taxpayers will all be affected as drug manufacturers move these products to the commercial market.
President Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address leaned heavily on health care issues. Biden took a victory lap for recent accomplishments like capping prescription drug costs for seniors on Medicare. He also urged Congress to make permanent the boosted premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, and he sparred with Republicans on threats to cut Social Security and Medicare. Also this week, both sides in the abortion debate are bracing for a court decision out of Texas that could, at least temporarily, make the abortion pill mifepristone illegal nationwide. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Kate Baicker of the University of Chicago about a possible middle ground in the effort to get universal health insurance coverage.
Following heated reactions to his State of the Union assertion that some Republicans want to make big cuts to Medicare and Social Security, President Joe Biden touted the exchange with Republicans as a "deal" and promised to preserve the federal programs. “They sure didn’t like me calling them on it,” he told a Wisconsin crowd during his post-speech road trip.
Our partners at PolitiFact fact-checked a range of President Joe Biden’s statements, including key health-related comments.
Texas is challenging guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services that asserts that federal law requires pharmacies dispense reproductive health prescriptions, including those that could end pregnancies.
After that assertion was met in the House chamber by outrage and jeers from Republican lawmakers, President Joe Biden said: “So folks, as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare off the books now, right?”
Now that Medicare beneficiaries are paying a maximum of $35 a month on life-saving insulin, President Joe Biden urged Congress to pass the same benefit for privately insured Americans, too. He also criticized talk of repealing Medicare's new power to negotiate some drug prices, while also touching on other health issues like abortion, veterans' health, and more.
As they take over leadership of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Bill Cassidy spoke to Stat about their agenda that includes drug pricing, nursing shortages, improving dental health, and other priorities.
The Biden administration this week announced it would let the covid-19 public health emergency lapse on May 11, even as the Republican-led House was voting to immediately eliminate the special authorities of the so-called PHE. Meanwhile, anti-abortion forces are pressuring legislators to both tighten abortion restrictions and pay for every birth in the nation. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KHN’s chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Hannah Wesolowski of the National Alliance on Mental Illness about the rollout of the national 988 suicide prevention hotline.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services previewed Wednesday its 2024 payments and rates for Medicare Advantage. While a rate increase is proposed, insurers could see an average 2.3% cut to baseline payments, Stat reports. The agency also released planned changes to Medicare Part D and the star ratings programs.
When the national emergency expires, health care systems and nursing homes will likely face the end to popular measures like higher Medicare reimbursements for covid admissions, some telehealth flexibility, acute hospital care outside of facilities, and others. American patients can also expect big changes, most of which will cost them more.
With ongoing negotiations over budget cuts as the backdrop, during a hearing discussion Tuesday Democrats asked if programs like Medicare and Social Security fall under the language of a House Republican's proposed anti-socialism resolution. Other news from Capitol Hill covers drug prices, veteran health, and more.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates that it could claw back $4.7 billion over 10 years from pending audits of private Medicare Advantage insurers' charges. The companies didn't get the leniency they sought for diagnostic errors, which could set up court challenges. Insurers did a major reprieve from returning overpayments from 2011 to 2017.
In a surprise decision, U.S. officials yield to insurance industry demands — at least for now.
The emergency increases for food assistance, put in place during the pandemic, have already ended in 17 states, Axios reports. Local food pantries across the U.S. are bracing for an increase in demand. In other news, the White House on Sunday blasted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's intention to "strengthen" Medicare and Social Security, arguing that it was coded language to slash funding.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has assured that Medicare and Social Security will no longer be Republican targets in talks to strike a debt ceiling deal. In related news, a Republican study group eyes potential Medicare changes. And secret audits found millions in Medicare Advantage plan overpayments.
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