Category: Medicare

Lawsuit Challenges Insurance Restrictions on Weight Loss Drugs Like Wegovy

Many employers and government programs won’t cover costly obesity medications. A lawsuit is challenging one such policy.
Drug Makers Agree to Negotiate With Medicare on Prices of 10 Medications

The pharmaceutical companies said they would begin talks even as several of them were suing the Biden administration over a new law authorizing the negotiations.
As Covid Infections Rise, Nursing Homes Are Still Waiting for Vaccines

Now that the U.S. government has stepped back from issuing vaccines, long-term care operators have yet to start administering shots to protect one of the most vulnerable populations.
Eliquis and Jardiance Among First Drugs Picked for Medicare Price Negotiations

The Biden administration’s announcement was an important moment for Democrats, who have campaigned on a promise to lower the cost of prescription drugs.
White House Hits Back on Fitch Credit Downgrade, Protecting Biden

The president’s team has mobilized to counter the downgrade of Treasury debt by the Fitch Ratings agency, rushing to defend the story of an improving economic outlook.
Social Security COLA Is Forecast Around 3%

Analysts say the 2024 adjustment, which helps older Americans keep up with inflation, won’t be nearly as high as his year’s but will still be significant.
Drugmakers Throw ‘Kitchen Sink’ to Halt Medicare Price Negotiations

The government will soon announce the first 10 medications that will be subject to price negotiations with Medicare under a new law. Drugmakers are fighting the measure in court.
Profiting From Risky Atherectomies That Can Lead to Amputations

Medical device makers have bankrolled a cottage industry of doctors and clinics that perform artery-clearing procedures that can lead to amputations.
What to Know About Leqembi, the Alzheimer’s Drug Approved by the FDA

Medicare will cover much of the cost for patients in the early stages of the disease, but Leqembi has safety risks and can only modestly slow cognitive decline.
FDA Makes Alzheimer’s Drug Leqembi Widely Accessible

The F.D.A. gave full approval to the drug, but added a black-box warning about safety risks. Medicare said it would cover most of the high cost.
Retiree Medical Costs Expected to Stay Flat in 2023

An estimate puts the average cost over a 20-year retirement at about $157,000. That’s almost double the estimate in 2002.
States Try Easing the Burden of Long-Term Care’s High Cost

Seeing their own financial benefits, too, Washington and California are among the states creating programs to help older residents.