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West Health issues statement on reports that Senate Democrats will lower prescription drug prices through reconciliation bill

West Health Chief Executive Officer Shelley Lyford issued the following statement on reports that Senate Democrats have reached agreement to move forward on a reconciliation bill that includes major provisions to lower prescription drug prices.

2 Jul 2022

Repeat nursing homes transfers are much higher for Black residents and those under age 65, study finds

Nursing homes transfer roughly 25% of their residents to the hospital at least once, at a cost of $14.3 billion to Medicare, according to a federal report by the Office of Inspector General.

1 Jul 2022

How to get rid of medical debt — or avoid it in the first place

Lori Mangum was 32 when apple-size tumors sprouted on her head. Now — six years and 10 surgeries later — the skin cancer is gone. But her pain lives on, in the form of medical debt.

1 Jul 2022

How much health insurers pay for almost everything is about to go public

Consumers, employers, and just about everyone else interested in health care prices will soon get an unprecedented look at what insurers pay for care, perhaps helping answer a question that has long dogged those who buy insurance: Are we getting the best deal we can?

1 Jul 2022

Government watchdogs attack Medicare Advantage for denying care and overcharging

Congress should crack down on Medicare Advantage health plans for seniors that sometimes deny patients vital medical care while overcharging the government billions of dollars every year, government watchdogs told a House panel Tuesday.

29 Jun 2022

Bisphosphonates appear to improve COVID-19 exposure outcomes

A new retrospective study examines the effect of bisphosphonates on COVID-19 outcomes.

27 Jun 2022

Majority of U.S. hospitals not fully compliant with transparency in pricing about knee and hip replacement

On January 1, 2021, the federal government began requiring U.S. hospitals to maintain clear, accessible online price lists for 300 common services.

24 Jun 2022

Seniors with prediabetes should eat better, get moving, but not fret too much about diabetes

Almost half of older adults — more than 26 million people 65 and older — have prediabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How concerned should they be?

24 Jun 2022

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The FDA goes after nicotine

The FDA this week launched a crackdown on smoking and vaping — ordering the vaping device Juul to be taken off the market and announcing its intention to require makers of cigarettes and other tobacco products to reduce the amount of nicotine in them.

23 Jun 2022

American College of Radiology issues risk mitigation strategies to address contrast media shortage

GE Healthcare was forced to shut a production plant in April because of a COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai, China.

23 Jun 2022

Study finds racial and ethnic disparities in cardiac rehabilitation participation regardless of income

Participation in cardiac rehabilitation is low among Asian, Black and Hispanic adults compared to white adults, with significant disparities by race/ethnicity regardless of income, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

22 Jun 2022

Study highlights low use of mental health services in Australian residential aged care facilities

Less than 3% of people with mental health conditions living in Australian residential aged care facilities accessed government-subsidised mental health services, a new analysis from Flinders University and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) has found, with calls for organisational and policy changes to improve access.

22 Jun 2022

A surgery shatters retirement plans and leads to bankruptcy

Sherrie and Michael Foy thought they'd made all the right preparations when they moved to rural southwestern Virginia after Michael retired from Consolidated Edison, New York's largest utility.

16 Jun 2022

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Closing in on covid vaccines for ‘the littles’

Children younger than 5 are the only population not eligible for a covid-19 vaccine in the U.S. But that may be about to change as an advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration recommends authorization for that group.

16 Jun 2022

Upended: How medical debt changed their lives

Some lost their homes. Some emptied their retirement accounts. Some struggled to feed and clothe their families.

16 Jun 2022

100 million people in America are saddled with health care debt

Elizabeth Woodruff drained her retirement account and took on three jobs after she and her husband were sued for nearly $10,000 by the New York hospital where his infected leg was amputated.

16 Jun 2022

Cost of brand-name antiseizure medications increased by 277% from 2010 to 2018, study finds

The cost of brand-name drugs for epilepsy increased by 277% from 2010 to 2018, according to a study published in the June 15, 2022, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

16 Jun 2022

Annual Wellness Visits associated with reduced risk of amputations in patients with diabetes

Patients with diabetes who participate in a free Annual Wellness Visit covered by Medicare are 36% less likely to need an amputation, a new study from University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers and their collaborators found.

15 Jun 2022

Buy and bust: When private equity comes for rural hospitals

When the new corporate owners of two rural hospitals suddenly announced they would stop admitting patients one Friday in March, Kayla Schudel, a nurse, stood resolute in the nearly empty lobby of Audrain Community Hospital: "You'll be seen; the ER is open."

15 Jun 2022

Medicare for all in the U.S. could have saved over 338,000 lives during COVID pandemic

In a recent study published in the journal PNAS, researchers propose a single-payer universal healthcare system in the United States (US) as a pandemic preparedness measure.

15 Jun 2022

Medicare News and Research

West Health issues statement on reports that Senate Democrats will lower prescription drug prices through reconciliation bill

Repeat nursing homes transfers are much higher for Black residents and those under age 65, study finds

How to get rid of medical debt — or avoid it in the first place

How much health insurers pay for almost everything is about to go public

Government watchdogs attack Medicare Advantage for denying care and overcharging

Bisphosphonates appear to improve COVID-19 exposure outcomes

Majority of U.S. hospitals not fully compliant with transparency in pricing about knee and hip replacement

Seniors with prediabetes should eat better, get moving, but not fret too much about diabetes

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The FDA goes after nicotine

American College of Radiology issues risk mitigation strategies to address contrast media shortage

Study finds racial and ethnic disparities in cardiac rehabilitation participation regardless of income

Study highlights low use of mental health services in Australian residential aged care facilities

A surgery shatters retirement plans and leads to bankruptcy

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Closing in on covid vaccines for ‘the littles’

Upended: How medical debt changed their lives

100 million people in America are saddled with health care debt

Cost of brand-name antiseizure medications increased by 277% from 2010 to 2018, study finds

Annual Wellness Visits associated with reduced risk of amputations in patients with diabetes

Buy and bust: When private equity comes for rural hospitals

Medicare for all in the U.S. could have saved over 338,000 lives during COVID pandemic

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