News
Study finds weak penalties for Medicare Advantage rule violations
9+ hour, 10+ min ago (508+ words) A new study from health policy researchers at the Brown University School of Public Health suggests that while regulators have several tools at their disposal to penalize insurance plans that break the rules, they rely mostly on relatively small financial…...
Medicare reforms improve medication adherence among older adults with heart disease
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (352+ words) The study focuses on impacts from two provisions of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that took effect January 1, 2024. Researchers compared survey data from 2024 against prior years to analyze trends in self-reported medication non-adherence among older adults with heart disease or…...
Rising premature deaths prevent many Americans from reaching the age of Medicare eligibility
5+ mon, 3+ week ago (691+ words) For 60 years, Medicare has served as a social safety net. Workers pay into the system over their lifetimes with the expectation that they will be able to access affordable health care when they turn 65. But for a growing number of…...
Immigrant seniors lose Medicare coverage despite paying for it
4+ week, 1+ day ago (374+ words) Rosa Mar'a Carranza leaned forward to hold a 3-year-old's back as the girl climbed a rock in the forested hills of northeast Oakland. Dressed in hiking gear and beaded necklaces, Carranza, 67, maneuvered between trees and children on a sunny morning…...
In switching to original medicare, beware of Medigap plan refusals
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (653+ words) But there's a catch: If people want to move to original Medicare and buy a supplemental Medigap insurance plan to cover some out-of-pocket costs, they may not be able to. Medigap insurers can generally refuse coverage to applicants whose medical…...
Medicare Advantage "dark money" group attempts to win higher payments for insurance companies
1+ mon, 3+ week ago (1084+ words) Yet about 82% of the comments are identical to a letter that appeared on the website of a secretive advocacy group called Medicare Advantage Majority, a data analysis by KFF Health News has found. The "dark money" group does not reveal…...
NIH grant funds evaluation of expanded Medicare Advantage benefits
2+ mon, 5+ day ago (289+ words) Today, more than half of older Americans receive their Medicare coverage through private Medicare Advantage plans. In 2020, that program made a sweeping policy shift, allowing those plans to offer supplemental benefits beyond traditional medical care, including groceries, meal deliveries, utilities,…...
To avoid care disruptions, know when the clock runs out on your prior authorization
2+ mon, 6+ day ago (1169+ words) A woman with multiple sclerosis wanted to be able to walk up the stairs at home without losing her balance. Her doctor prescribed medicine that helped, but then approval from her insurance plan for the drug expired. Jaclyn Mayo has…...
Medicare's three-day rule: Longer hospital stays, no patient benefit
2+ mon, 3+ week ago (570+ words) A long-standing Medicare policy meant to manage rehabilitation services in nursing homes may keep older Americans in hospitals longer than necessary without improving patient health or saving Medicare money, new research finds. When the policy was created, typical hospital stays…...
Blurry line between medical and vision insurance leaves patient with unexpected bill
3+ mon, 6+ day ago (1024+ words) Barbara Tuszynski was concerned about her vision but confident in her insurance coverage when she went to an eye clinic last May. The retiree, 70, was diagnosed with glaucoma in her right eye in 2019. She had a laser procedure to treat…...