Medicare

WASHINGTON — Though few likely noticed given the court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court also decided a highly technical case Friday regarding how the Department of Health and Human Services calculates a class of Medicare payments. The... Read More

WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan on Tuesday called on Congress to “fix” the Medicare Secondary Payer Act after a majority of her colleagues ruled a group health plan did not violate the act by providing only limited benefits... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Department of Health and Human Services extended the COVID-19 public health emergency this week beyond the July 15 expiration to October. The eventual expiration of the declaration will lead to changes in certain flexibilities granted to Medicare... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed a bill capping the monthly cost of insulin at $35 for insured patients, part of an election-year push by Democrats for price curbs on prescription drugs at a time of rising inflation. Experts... Read More

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is disbursing an initial amount of $2 million to four health care entities in four states to bolster access to their services in underserved communities. Funds will be distributed to participating hospitals in... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The Biden administration on Thursday offered the first detailed look at actions the White House may take in conjunction with congressional action to lower prescription drug prices. The 29-page plan, released through the Department of Health and Human... Read More

WASHINGTON — America's safety net programs are running out of money, and fast. All four major trust funds — Social Security Old-Age and Survivors Insurance, Social Security Disability Insurance, Medicare Hospital Insurance, and the Highway trust fund —are heading for... Read More

WASHINGTON -- A hearing held by the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging centered around whether to expand Medicare to cover eyes, ears, and teeth, a proposal from Senate Democrats that could possibly cost over $359 billion over a decade. ... Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 133, an expansion of Medi-Cal that will provide coverage to undocumented Californians age 50 and over, set to go into effect in May 2022.  “Accessing health coverage through Medicaid... Read More

WASHINGTON - Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, are urging their colleagues to pass the Ensuring Access to Primary Care for Women & Children Act. This legislation is intended to expand access to primary care but it languished in... Read More

WASHINGTON – Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., are urging their colleagues to support legislation that would address looming cuts to Medicare by redirecting a portion of the recently passed $1.9 trillion dollar COVID relief bill. The Protecting... Read More

DENVER, Colo. - Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., on Wednesday reintroduced their Medicare-X Choice Act by urging their colleagues to embrace it as a way of expanding both the Affordable Care Act and Medicare.  During a late... Read More

WASHINGTON — Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., and Rep. David McKinley, R-W. Va., introduced bipartisan legislation to prevent cuts to hospital payments through the duration of the COVID public health emergency.  The Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act would delay the Medicare... Read More

WASHINGTON - For weeks it had been the stuff of living room banter and fodder for self-quarantining late night comedians. Suddenly, apparently on a whim, the president who once described himself as a "very stable genius," was talking about how... Read More

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump signed four executive orders Friday afternoon that he says will dramatically reduce the cost of prescription drugs. But even before his press conference in the Old Executive Office building was over, the orders were being... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — At greater risk from COVID-19, some seniors now face added anxiety due to delays obtaining Medicare coverage. Advocates for older people say the main problem involves certain applications for Medicare's “Part B” coverage for outpatient care. It... Read More

MIAMI — Sonia Domínguez, 74, and her husband, Miguel Morejón, 81, can’t recall the last time they’ve seen a dentist in Miami, the city they’ve called home for more than two decades. “It may have been around three, four years... Read More

WASHINGTON - Accustomed as they are to believing government can do a great deal of good for a great many, serious Democrats have grown increasingly concerned over the potential long-term ramifications of Medicare for all proposals. While it's easy --... Read More

WASHINGTON - A quartet of House Democrats want to see Medicare Part B coverage expanded to include routine vision benefits. Right now, Medicare only covers surgery and screenings for people who are at a high risk of getting cataracts and... Read More