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After staying away during pandemic, doctors return to lobby Congress

Dr. Timothy McAvoy, an internist from Waukesha, Wisconsin, held his infant granddaughter Tuesday while standing in the Longworth House Office Building, waiting to talk to a congressional aide about increasing Medicare pay for doctors.

17 Feb 2023

Medicare pay cuts will hurt seniors’ care, doctors argue

Doctors are urging Congress to call off cuts scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1 in the reimbursements they receive from Medicare.

20 Dec 2022

Hospices have become big business for private equity firms, raising concerns about end-of-life care

Hospice care, once provided primarily by nonprofit agencies, has seen a remarkable shift over the past decade, with more than two-thirds of hospices nationwide now operating as for-profit entities.

29 Jul 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

Private equity ownership of nursing homes triggers Capitol Hill questions — and a GAO probe

In his State of the Union address last month, President Joe Biden focused attention on how private equity ownership of nursing homes can affect residents' health.

13 Apr 2022

Medicare Advantage plans send pals to seniors’ homes for companionship — and profits

Widowed and usually living alone, Gloria Bailey walks with a cane after two knee replacement surgeries and needs help with housekeeping.

15 Mar 2022

Few acute care hospitals escaped readmissions penalties

Preventable rehospitalization of the nation's older adults has proved a persistent health and financial challenge for the U.S., costing Medicare hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

4 Nov 2021

Medicare punishes 2,499 hospitals for high readmissions

The federal government's effort to penalize hospitals for excessive patient readmissions is ending its first decade with Medicare cutting payments to nearly half the nation's hospitals.

28 Oct 2021

Democrats’ plans to expand Medicare benefits put pinch on advantage plans’ funding

"Did you think we wouldn't notice?" an older woman says, speaking into the camera. "You thought you could sneak this through?" an older man later adds. Others warn that Washington is "messing with" their Medicare Advantage health coverage and trying to raise their premiums.

28 Oct 2021

Advocating full reimbursement for care provided by nurse practitioners

The current Medicare reimbursement policy for nurse practitioners (NPs) allows NPs to directly bill Medicare for services that they perform, but they are reimbursed at only 85% of the physician rate.

16 Jun 2021

Covid was a tipping point for telehealth. If some have their way, Virtual visits are here to stay.

As the covid crisis wanes and life approaches normal across the U.S., health industry leaders and many patient advocates are pushing Congress and the Biden administration to preserve the pandemic-fueled expansion of telehealth that has transformed how millions of Americans see the doctor.

7 Jun 2021

Doctors tell how to make the most of your telehealth visits

When the pandemic sidelined in-office visits at his practice, Dr. Dael Waxman "wasn't exactly thrilled with being at home." But he quickly shifted gears to video and telephone appointments.

2 Jun 2021

Colorado will pay hospitals to close expensive free-standing ERs

Colorado health officials so abhor the high costs associated with free-standing emergency rooms they're offering to pay hospitals to shut the facilities down.

21 May 2021

Virtual care spreads in Missouri health system, home to ‘hospital without beds’

When Tom Becker was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat in March 2020, the 60-year-old EMS helicopter pilot from Washington, Missouri, worried he would never fly again.

23 Apr 2021

When a doctor no longer accepts Medicare, patients left holding the bag

Pneumonia. Heart problems. High cholesterol. Betsy Carrier, 71, and her husband, Don Resnikoff, 79, relied on their primary care doctor in Montgomery County, Maryland, for help managing their ailments.

9 Jun 2020

Why home health care is suddenly harder to come by for Medicare patients

The decision came out of the blue. "Your husband isn't going to get any better, so we can't continue services," an occupational therapist told Deloise "Del" Holloway in early November. "Medicare isn't going to pay for it."

3 Feb 2020

New round of Medicare readmission penalties hits 2,583 hospitals

Medicare cut payments to 2,583 hospitals Tuesday, continuing the Affordable Care Act's eight-year campaign to financially pressure hospitals into reducing the number of patients who return for a second stay within a month.

1 Oct 2019

Class-action lawsuit seeks to let Medicare patients appeal gap in nursing home coverage

Medicare paid for Betty Gordon’s knee replacement surgery in March, but the 72-year-old former high school teacher needed a nursing home stay and care at home to recover.

12 Aug 2019

Medicare recipients may pay more for generics than their brand-name counterparts, study finds

Medicare Part D enrollees may pay more out of pocket for high-priced specialty generic drugs than their brand-name counterparts, according to new research by health policy experts at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

2 Jul 2019

Hospitals chafe under Medicare’s new payment rule for off-campus clinics

Eric Lewis' plans for expansion have derailed. As chief executive officer of Olympic Medical Center, he oversees efforts to provide care to roughly 75,000 people in Clallam County, in the isolated, rural northwestern corner of Washington state.

26 Apr 2019