Category: Medicare

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.
Hospice Is a Profitable Business, but Nonprofits Mostly Do a Better Job

Nearly three-quarters of hospice organizations are now for-profit. Complaints of fraud and profiteering are growing.
Merck Sues Over Medicare Drug-Price Negotiation Law

The company is heavily reliant on a cancer drug that could be targeted by a program intended to lower drug prices.
The Debt-Limit Deal Suggests Debt Will Keep Growing, Fast

Negotiations to prevent a government default reaffirmed that the big drivers of future deficits are all off the table in a divided Washington.
Potential Debt Ceiling Deal Would Barely Change Federal Spending Path

Negotiators have focused on a relatively small corner of the budget, shunning new revenues or cuts to the fastest-growing programs
How a Solo Gig Can Give You a Stronger Retirement

Becoming a solo entrepreneur in the years between leaving an employer and claiming Social Security can give your savings a boost. Here’s what to know.
Addiction Treatment Medicine Is Vastly Underprescribed, Especially by Race, Study Finds

Black patients with opioid use disorder were far less likely to fill prescriptions for the most effective addiction treatments than white patients. But strikingly few patients of all races got the medicine.
Corporate Giants Buy Up Primary Care Practices at Rapid Pace

Large health insurers and other companies are especially keen on doctors’ groups that care for patients in private Medicare plans.
Medicare Delays a Full Crackdown on Private Health Plans

The New York Times – Business:
After intense lobbying by insurers, U.S. health officials say curbs aimed at overbilling by Medicare Advantage will be eased in over 3 years.
Social Security and Medicare Funds Still Face Long-Term Shortfalls, Report Says

The New York Times – Business:
Slower economic growth could mean some retirement benefits will be cut sooner than originally forecast.