Medicare News and Research

RSS

COVID-19 vaccinations associated with reduction of COVID-19 infections and deaths among Medicare beneficiaries

A study identified associations between COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths among Medicare FFS beneficiaries and the fully vaccinated population at the county level.

7 Oct 2021

Mandatory vaccines for health care workers might upend nurses’ training

Kaitlyn Hevner expects to complete a 15-month accelerated nursing program at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville in December. For her clinical training this fall, she's working 12-hour shifts on weekends with medical-surgical patients at a hospital.

4 Oct 2021

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The health agenda still on hold

Meanwhile, the Biden administration issued regulations to implement last year's law to limit "surprise" medical bills to patients who get care outside their insurance networks.

1 Oct 2021

Study explores trends in cardiac imaging from 2010 to 2019

A new study published in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging on cardiac imaging trends over a decade reports that the rate of coronary computed tomography angiography (cCTA) exams by radiologists in hospital outpatient departments increased markedly from 2010 to 2019, suggesting a bright future for the technology

1 Oct 2021

Death in Dallas: One family’s experience in the Medicaid gap

For years, Millicent McKinnon of Dallas went without health insurance. She was one of roughly 1 million Texans who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid in the state but too little to buy their own insurance.

30 Sep 2021

A covid test costing more than a Tesla? It happened in Texas.

When covid-19 struck last year, Travis Warner's company became busier than ever. He installs internet and video systems, and with people suddenly working from home, service calls surged.

30 Sep 2021

Alzheimer’s drug targets people with mild cognitive impairment. What does that mean?

The approval of a controversial new drug for Alzheimer's disease, Aduhelm, is shining a spotlight on mild cognitive impairment — problems with memory, attention, language or other cognitive tasks that exceed changes expected with normal aging.

29 Sep 2021

Study: Life expectancy gaps between Black and white Americans have narrowed by nearly 50% in three decades

Persistent gaps in life expectancy between Black and white Americans have been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, this gap has narrowed by nearly 50% in three decades, largely due to improvements among Black Americans, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

29 Sep 2021

An ad’s charge that price haggling would ‘swipe $500 billion from Medicare’ is incorrect

The advertisement opens with a doctor sitting across from his patient and holding a prescription drug pill bottle. "You want to continue with this medication?" the doctor asks while an older patient nods.

28 Sep 2021

Study maps hotspots of low-value care use at individual health systems

Researchers estimate that up to $101 billion in health care spending is wasted each year due to over-treatment or the delivery of "low-value care." Low-value care includes a wide array of tests and treatments that are medically unnecessary and for which the potential for harm outweigh the potential for benefit. While researchers have charted the ongoing use of low-value care on national and regional levels, little research exists on how health systems across the country use low-value care and how they compare to each other.

28 Sep 2021

Higher-rated dialysis facilities yield a 47% higher likelihood of transplant waitlisting for patients

Dialysis centers, the gatekeepers of kidney transplantation waitlisting, produce more data and inspire more policies today than ever before.

24 Sep 2021

Low wages and pandemic gut staffing support for those with disabilities

Ernestine "Erma" Bryant likes her job, but the pay is a problem. She works in a caregiver role as a "direct support professional" in Tifton, Georgia, helping people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities with basic functions such as dressing, bathing and eating.

24 Sep 2021

A daily pill to treat covid could be just months away, scientists say

Within a day of testing positive for covid-19 in June, Miranda Kelly was sick enough to be scared. At 44, with diabetes and high blood pressure, Kelly, a certified nursing assistant, was having trouble breathing, symptoms serious enough to send her to the emergency room.

24 Sep 2021

Community-based physical activity program could help diverse populations of cancer survivors

Breast cancer survivors who participated in Active Living After Cancer, an evidence-based 12-week group program, markedly increased their physical activity and ability to accomplish the basic pursuits of daily life, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported today in Cancer.

23 Sep 2021

Domestic reference pricing may reduce Medicare expenditures on new drugs, study finds

Basing new drug launch prices on historical domestic data could limit manufacturers' power to set extremely high launch prices and could reduce Medicare spending on new drugs by up to 30%, according to a new white paper released today by West Health and its Council for Informed Drug Spending Analysis.

23 Sep 2021

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The autumn of Democrats’ discontent

Democrats in Congress and the White House are feverishly negotiating to pass as much of President Joe Biden's domestic agenda as they can agree on, even as Republicans who oppose much of the increased spending threaten to shut down the government and default on the nation's debt.

23 Sep 2021

The solution to au pairs’ health coverage gaps may be simple: ACA plans

In 2016, Isis Mabel, of Mexico, wanted to improve her English. On advice from an aunt, she enrolled with an au pair agency to come to the United States to live with a family and care for the children.

21 Sep 2021

Congress cites KHN investigation in probe of national academies

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform is requesting a ream of documents from the prestigious National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, spurred by a recent KHN investigation that revealed deep ties between pharmaceutical companies and two members of a committee that took a pharma-friendly stance in a recent report on drug waste.

21 Sep 2021

California’s reboot of troubled Medi-Cal puts pressure on health plans

When Denise Williams' baby boy was 2 months old, she became alarmed by a rattling sound in his lungs and took him to the emergency room. While undergoing treatment, he spiraled into a disabling neurological disorder.

21 Sep 2021

CDC to invest $2.1 billion to improve safety and quality of healthcare in the U.S.

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a $2.1 billion investment to improve infection prevention and control activities across the U.S. public health and healthcare sectors.

18 Sep 2021

Medicare News and Research

COVID-19 vaccinations associated with reduction of COVID-19 infections and deaths among Medicare beneficiaries

Mandatory vaccines for health care workers might upend nurses’ training

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The health agenda still on hold

Study explores trends in cardiac imaging from 2010 to 2019

Death in Dallas: One family’s experience in the Medicaid gap

A covid test costing more than a Tesla? It happened in Texas.

Alzheimer’s drug targets people with mild cognitive impairment. What does that mean?

Study: Life expectancy gaps between Black and white Americans have narrowed by nearly 50% in three decades

An ad’s charge that price haggling would ‘swipe $500 billion from Medicare’ is incorrect

Study maps hotspots of low-value care use at individual health systems

Higher-rated dialysis facilities yield a 47% higher likelihood of transplant waitlisting for patients

Low wages and pandemic gut staffing support for those with disabilities

A daily pill to treat covid could be just months away, scientists say

Community-based physical activity program could help diverse populations of cancer survivors

Domestic reference pricing may reduce Medicare expenditures on new drugs, study finds

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The autumn of Democrats’ discontent

The solution to au pairs’ health coverage gaps may be simple: ACA plans

Congress cites KHN investigation in probe of national academies

California’s reboot of troubled Medi-Cal puts pressure on health plans

CDC to invest $2.1 billion to improve safety and quality of healthcare in the U.S.

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

Latest News