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Florida Sen. Rick Scott off base in claim that rise in Medicare premiums is due to inflation

Republicans blame President Joe Biden for this year's historic surge in inflation, reflected in higher prices for almost everything — from cars and gas to food and housing.

24 Nov 2021

Study reveals extra burden of COVID-19 adverse events in end-stage kidney disease patients

Patients undergoing long-term dialysis, especially Black and Hispanic patients and those living in nursing homes, were severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a nationwide study by University of Michigan researchers.

23 Nov 2021

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The big Biden budget bill passes the House

President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" social spending bill passed the House last week, but the legislation faces a new and different set of hurdles in the Senate, where it will need the support of every single Democrat, plus approval by the Senate parliamentarian.

23 Nov 2021

When the eye on older patients is a camera

In the middle of a rainy Michigan night, 88-year-old Dian Wurdock walked out the front door of her son's home in Grand Rapids, barefoot and coatless. Her destination was unknown even to herself.

23 Nov 2021

Quality of care declines with private equity ownership of nursing homes, study suggests

Nursing homes acquired by private equity companies saw an increase in emergency room visits and hospitalizations among long-stay residents and an uptick in Medicare costs, according to a new study from Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

21 Nov 2021

Despite the increasing risk of closure, rural ERs provide similar care as urban health care facilities

Hospitals in the nation's more remote areas are constantly under threat. Since 2010, over 100 rural U.S. hospitals have closed, resulting in the loss of emergency department care.

21 Nov 2021

CHEST and AAHomecare release new toolkit to support patients who require supplemental oxygen

The American College of Chest Physicians and The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) are releasing an Oxygen Toolkit supporting individuals who require supplemental oxygen and clinicians who prescribe supplemental oxygen to their patients.

18 Nov 2021

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Boosting confusion

With covid caseloads rising across much of the country, several governors and mayors are unilaterally expanding access to booster shots, getting out ahead of federal health officials.

18 Nov 2021

Stranded by the pandemic, he had only travel insurance. It left him with a $38,000 bill.

Duy Hoa Tran, a retired Vietnamese schoolteacher, arrived in Los Angeles in February 2020 to visit his daughter and 2-month-old grandson.

18 Nov 2021

Public opinion is unified on lowering prescription drug prices. Why are leaders settling for less?

Democrats and Republicans are crystal clear in polls that they want government to be allowed to negotiate down high drug prices. Americans pay nearly three times as much for drugs as patients in dozens of other countries.

18 Nov 2021

Congressional doctors lead bipartisan revolt over policy on surprise medical bills

The detente that allowed Congress to pass a law curbing surprise medical bills has disintegrated, with a bipartisan group of 152 lawmakers assailing the administration's plan to regulate the law and medical providers warning of grim consequences for underserved patients.

17 Nov 2021

As big pharma and hospitals battle over drug discounts, patients miss out on millions in benefits

In early July, as the covid-19 pandemic slammed rural America, the president of a small Kansas hospital sat down on a Friday afternoon and wrote the president of the United States to plead for help.

16 Nov 2021

How rural communities are losing their pharmacies

Batson's Drug Store seems like a throwback to a simpler time. The independently owned pharmacy in Howard, Kansas, still runs an old-fashioned soda counter and hand-dips ice cream. But the drugstore, the only one in the entire county, teeters on the edge between nostalgia and extinction.

15 Nov 2021

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Why health care is so expensive, chapter $22K

Congress appears to be making progress on its huge social spending bill, but even if it passes the House as planned the week of Nov. 15, it's unlikely it can get through the Senate before the Thanksgiving deadline that Democrats set for themselves.

11 Nov 2021

Researcher: Medicare Advantage plans costing billions more than they should

Switching seniors to Medicare Advantage plans has cost taxpayers tens of billions of dollars more than keeping them in original Medicare, a cost that has exploded since 2018 and is likely to rise even higher, new research has found.

11 Nov 2021

Medicare’s open enrollment is open season for scammers

Finding the best private Medicare drug or medical insurance plan among dozens of choices is tough enough without throwing misleading sales tactics into the mix.

11 Nov 2021

Medicare enrollment blitz doesn’t include options to move into Medigap

Medicare's annual open-enrollment season is here and millions of beneficiaries — prompted by a massive advertising campaign and aided by a detailed federal website — will choose a private Medicare Advantage plan.

9 Nov 2021

Substance use, high alcohol consumption may increase the risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation

Using methamphetamines, opiates, cocaine and cannabis, as well as acute alcohol consumption (alcohol consumption within a week preceding an atrial fibrillation event) may increase the risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2021.

8 Nov 2021

Research: Less than 10% of Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure get cardiac rehabilitation

Cardiac rehabilitation enrollment rose among adults with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction after Medicare started covering it in 2014, yet overall enrollment among Medicare beneficiaries remains very low – less than 10% of those eligible according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2021.

8 Nov 2021

Middlemen take home almost 53% of the net proceeds from insulin sales, finds study

Despite its discovery nearly 100 years ago, insulin's list price has been going up, not down, with trade secrets and other protections preventing researchers from pinpointing who is receiving profits from its sale.

7 Nov 2021

Medicare News and Research

Florida Sen. Rick Scott off base in claim that rise in Medicare premiums is due to inflation

Study reveals extra burden of COVID-19 adverse events in end-stage kidney disease patients

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The big Biden budget bill passes the House

When the eye on older patients is a camera

Quality of care declines with private equity ownership of nursing homes, study suggests

Despite the increasing risk of closure, rural ERs provide similar care as urban health care facilities

CHEST and AAHomecare release new toolkit to support patients who require supplemental oxygen

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Boosting confusion

Stranded by the pandemic, he had only travel insurance. It left him with a $38,000 bill.

Public opinion is unified on lowering prescription drug prices. Why are leaders settling for less?

Congressional doctors lead bipartisan revolt over policy on surprise medical bills

As big pharma and hospitals battle over drug discounts, patients miss out on millions in benefits

How rural communities are losing their pharmacies

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Why health care is so expensive, chapter $22K

Researcher: Medicare Advantage plans costing billions more than they should

Medicare’s open enrollment is open season for scammers

Medicare enrollment blitz doesn’t include options to move into Medigap

Substance use, high alcohol consumption may increase the risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation

Research: Less than 10% of Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure get cardiac rehabilitation

Middlemen take home almost 53% of the net proceeds from insulin sales, finds study

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