Category: Medicare

Why MIPS is a useless mental exercise

Every day I receive all kinds of emails and other ads telling me about services offering me help to meet MIPS quality metrics. While they may be helpful, most doctors don’t see the need for such a program. It drives up costs in administering and time i…

How Many Medicare Part D Enrollees Had High Out-of-Pocket Drug Costs in 2017?

The Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit has helped improve the affordability of medications for people with Medicare. Yet Part D enrollees can face relatively high out-of-pocket costs because the Part D benefit does not have a hard cap on out-of-…

Democratic Voters Want To Hear Candidates’ Views On Health, But Priorities Vary

Nearly 9 in 10 Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents said it is very important for candidates to discuss health issues. But they are sharply divided among the goals of lowering costs, increasing access, protecting the Affordable Care Act or moving to a “Medicare for All” plan, a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation reported.

Social Security Error Jeopardizes Medicare Coverage For 250,000 Seniors

The problem affects private drug policies and Medicare Advantage plans that provide both medical and drug coverage and substitute for traditional government-run Medicare. It could leave plan members without coverage.

Analysis: Why Alexa’s Bedside Manner Is Bad For Health Care

Amazon’s personal assistant is gaining medical skills to provide coaching or transmit and monitor patient data. Besides the loss of the human touch, virtual medicine pursued in the name of business efficiency or profit bodes ill.

Robin Hood To Rescue Of Rural Hospitals? New Math Promised On Medicare Payments

A proposed adjustment to the wage index, used in setting a hospital’s Medicare reimbursement payments, could be a lifeline for some rural facilities.

Medicare for all will kill jobs. But it may be necessary.

As calls for radical health reform grow louder, many on the right, in the center and in the health care industry are arguing that proposals like “Medicare for all” would cause economic ruin, decimating a sector that represents nearly 20% of our economy…

Mired In Medical Debt? Federal Plan Would Update Overdue-Bill Collection Methods

More than half of Americans contacted about an overdue bill said it related to medical debt. A federal agency has proposed new guidance for what debt collectors are allowed to do when pursuing many types of overdue consumer bills, including medical debt. But some consumer advocates have panned the effort.

Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes

Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.

Analysis: A Health Care Overhaul Could Kill 2 Million Jobs, And That’s OK

Reform has a cost. But the point of a health care system is to treat patients, not to buttress the economy.