Medicare News and Research

RSS

Prescribing generic heart medications in Medicare Part D could result in substantial savings

Prescribing generic medications for heart and blood vessel diseases more frequently instead of brand-name medications in Medicare's prescription drug program, called Part D, could save more than $600 million each year in the U.S., according to new research published today in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.

9 Dec 2021

Post-pandemic, what’s a phone call from your physician worth?

Maybe this has happened to you recently: Your doctor telephoned to check in with you, chatting for 11 to 20 minutes, perhaps answering a question you contacted her office with, or asking how you're responding to a medication change.

8 Dec 2021

Oncology doctors say the build back better act will slash cancer care funding — a skewed argument

“An independent analysis shows that payments for cancer care will be slashed by close to 45% causing cancer clinics to close and massively raising your healthcare costs”

8 Dec 2021

Expanding Medicaid may reduce fatalities, study says

In 2010, the newly passed Affordable Care Act – also known as Obamacare – mandated that states expand Medicaid eligibility to cover millions of uninsured Americans.

3 Dec 2021

New California law eases aid-in-dying process

During her three-year battle with breast cancer, my wife, Leslie, graciously endured multiple rounds of horrifically toxic treatment to eke out more time with our two young children.

3 Dec 2021

Study shows difference in outcomes for women treated with checkpoint inhibitors for melanoma

A class of cancer immunotherapy called checkpoint inhibitors has revolutionized cancer treatment. It's a new way to attack the disease by unleashing the immune system.

2 Dec 2021

Extreme heat effects may be more pronounced among young and middle-aged adults than older adults

Extreme heat - a leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States - poses an increasing threat to the public, as days of extreme heat are expected to become more frequent, more intense, and longer-lasting due to the continued effects of climate change.

25 Nov 2021

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

Medicare News and Research

Prescribing generic heart medications in Medicare Part D could result in substantial savings

Post-pandemic, what’s a phone call from your physician worth?

Oncology doctors say the build back better act will slash cancer care funding — a skewed argument

Expanding Medicaid may reduce fatalities, study says

New California law eases aid-in-dying process

Study shows difference in outcomes for women treated with checkpoint inhibitors for melanoma

Extreme heat effects may be more pronounced among young and middle-aged adults than older adults

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

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

Latest News