Category: Medicare

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Still Seeking A Federal Coronavirus Strategy

Democrats were not impressed with the Trump administration’s COVID-19 national testing strategy document submitted to Congress this week. They say the pandemic requires more direction from the federal government, while the administration wants to give nearly all the responsibility to the states. Meanwhile, in an effort to shore up his base of senior voters, President Donald Trump has unveiled a plan to limit what those on Medicare must pay out-of-pocket for insulin. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Erin Mershon of STAT News and Joanne Kenen of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Phil Galewitz, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” installment about a patient who thought he might have COVID-19, did everything right and got a big bill, anyway.

A response to unemployment during the COVID pandemic: Medicare for all   

One afternoon in clinic, I opened a patient’s chart for a telehealth visit. Within days of the COVID pandemic, all clinic visits had transitioned to telehealth. The young woman had sent a picture through the electronic medical record of a rash on her l…

Coronavirus Fuels Explosive Growth In Telehealth ― And Concern About Fraud

“Unscrupulous providers” could take advantage of the boom in treatment delivered via voice or video calls.

How Much More Than Medicare Do Private Insurers Pay? A Review of the Literature

This brief reviews findings from recent studies that compare Medicare and private health insurance payment rates for both hospital and physician services.

Biden’s Incremental Medicare Play For Bernie’s Backers

The presumptive Democratic presidential candidate unveils a proposal to lower the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 60.

CMS needs to permanently eliminate barriers preventing routine use of telemedicine

On March 6, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) provided a temporary waiver to expand telemedicine services, whose use was previously limited to specific circumstances. However, as the United States grapples with the unprecedente…

To ‘Keep The Lights On,’ Doctors And Hospitals Ask For Advance Medicare Payments

As part of the federal response to the coronavirus crisis, Medicare is offering to give hospitals and doctors accelerated payments.

Pandemic Delays Federal Probe Into Medicare Advantage Health Plans

Government officials want to focus on fighting COVID-19 instead of recouping overcharges that run into the millions.

Analysis Estimates Up To 2 Million Uninsured People Could Require COVID-19 Hospitalization

A new KFF analysis estimates that between 670,000 and 2 million uninsured people around the country eventually could be hospitalized with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Reimbursing hospitals for those treatments coul…

Estimated Cost of Treating the Uninsured Hospitalized with COVID-19

This brief estimates the total amount that will be spent to reimburse hospitals for care for the uninsured with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.