Category: Medicare

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

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

Slower economic growth could mean some retirement benefits will be cut sooner than originally forecast.
Medicare Tries to Combat Fraud. Now Insurers Are Fighting Back.

The Biden administration has proposed changes to how it would pay private Medicare Advantage plans, setting off a lobbying frenzy.
More Retiree Health Plans Move Away From Traditional Medicare

Retirees whose former employers offer health coverage are being shifted to privately run Medicare Advantage, often against their wishes. The change saves millions for employers.
Biden Budget Will Propose Tax Increase to Boost Medicare

The president’s plan targets Americans earning more than $400,000 a year in an attempt to increase the program’s solvency by 25 years.