Medicare

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Tuesday proposed that Medicare and Medicaid begin covering the cost of widely popular obesity medications, though the plan will need buy-in from the incoming Trump administration to take effect. The proposal is part of... Read More

CHICAGO — While the main purpose of last week’s Democratic National Convention was to reintroduce America to Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential nominee, health care was never far from center stage. In fact, over the course of... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Thursday unveiled the results of the first-ever negotiations between Medicare and some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. The landmark price negotiations were set in motion with the passage, by a 220-207 party-line vote... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Biden-Harris administration on Thursday sent its initial offers to the makers of 10 prescription drugs that have been selected for price negotiations with Medicare under the Inflation Reduction Act. Medicare is federal health insurance for anyone 65... Read More

WASHINGTON — The White House announced Tuesday that all 10 drug companies whose products were selected for price negotiations with Medicare have agreed to participate in those talks. The companies, which include Bristol Myers Squibb, the maker of Eliquis, Boehringer... Read More

WASHINGTON — With uncertainty continuing to swirl around Capitol Hill, conversations have begun to focus not on if there will be a partial shutdown of the federal government come midnight on Saturday, but on how that almost inevitable shutdown will... Read More

WASHINGTON — PhRMA, the pharmaceutical industry’s largest lobbying group, sued the Biden administration on Wednesday asserting provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act that allow Medicare to start negotiating the prices of certain drugs are unconstitutional. The 59-page complaint, in which... Read More

WASHINGTON — As Congress considers proposals that would eliminate existing differences in Medicare payments for ambulatory services, a think tank is warning lawmakers to be on the lookout for unintended consequences. In a new paper published by the American Enterprise... Read More

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan bill in the House aims to permanently expand access to emergency medical care for Medicare, Tricare and Medicaid beneficiaries.  Introduced by Reps. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, and Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, the Emergency Care Improvement Act would head... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Social Security Trust Fund is projected to run short of cash by 2033, one year earlier than projected last year, according to a report released Friday. The report followed a meeting of the Social Security and Medicare... Read More

WASHINGTON — When the Inflation Reduction Act became law last year, it empowered the Health and Human Services secretary, for the first time ever, to begin negotiating certain prescription drug prices with drug manufacturers. The prices would go into effect... Read More

WASHINGTON — A proposed physician fee schedule for 2023 published this past week by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services aims to increase access to behavioral health care, cancer screening and dental care. The Calendar Year 2023 Physician Fee... Read More

WASHINGTON — Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, is urging his colleagues to take up legislation during the upcoming lame duck session of the 117th Congress to allow Medicare beneficiaries to more easily have virtual appointments with their doctors. Schatz has led... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is taking new steps to increase accountability of bad actors in the nursing home industry, improve the quality of nursing homes and make them safer. The new initiatives follow up on President Joe Biden’s promise... Read More

WASHINGTON — Medicare Open Enrollment begins on Saturday, Oct. 15, and officials with the Department of Health and Human Services are encouraging Medicare recipients to review and compare their options due to beneficial changes stemming from the passage of the... Read More

WASHINGTON — Lensmaker Essilor has agreed to pay $16.4 million to resolve allegations it caused claims to be submitted to Medicare and Medicaid that violated federal anti-kickback statutes.  Essilor, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, manufactures, markets and distributes optical lenses and... Read More

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 — Despite pressure to go another way, Medicare on Thursday evening announced it will only cover the new Alzheimer’s disease drug Aduhelm for people participating in a clinical trial. The decision came as something of a surprise as 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

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are debating how to divide up what could be a smaller serving of health care spending in President Joe Biden's domestic policy bill, pitting the needs of older adults who can't afford their dentures against the... 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 -- 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

Policymakers and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry debated the cost of prescription drugs and the myriad of proposals on Capitol Hill to bring those prices down at last week's Milken Institute Future of Health Summit. Amitabh Chandra, a health care... 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