Blurry Line Between Medical and Vision Insurance Leaves Patient With Unexpected Bill
Barbara Tuszynski was concerned about her vision but confident in her insurance coverage when she went to an eye clinic last May. The retiree, 70, was diagnosed with glaucoma in her right eye in 2019. She had a laser procedure to treat it in 2022, and she uses medicated drops in both eyes to prevent […]
Medicare Advantage Insurers Face New Curbs on Overcharges in Trump Plan That Reins in Payments
Medicare Advantage health plans are blasting a government proposal this week that would keep their reimbursement rates flat next year while making other payment changes. But some health policy experts say the plan could help reduce billions of dollars in overcharges that have been common in the program for more than a decade. On Jan. […]
What the Health? From KFF Health News: The Hazards of ICE for Public Health
The Host The actions of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are having ramifications far beyond immigration. Medical groups say that ICE agents in health facilities in Minneapolis and other cities are imperiling patient care, while in Washington, the backlash from a second fatal shooting by agents in Minnesota has stalled action on an eleventh-hour […]
Sick of Fighting Insurers, Hospitals Offer Their Own Medicare Advantage Plans
Ever since Larry Wilkewitz retired more than 20 years ago from a wood products company, he’s had a commercial Medicare Advantage plan from the insurer Humana. But two years ago, he heard about Peak Health, a new Advantage plan started by the West Virginia University Health System, where his doctors practice. It was cheaper and […]
Estas medidas podrían cambiar la calidad de la atención médica de las personas mayores
Mes tras mes, Patricia Hunter y otros miembros de la Coalición para la Reforma de los Hogares de Adultos Mayores (Nursing Home Reform Coalition) se conectaron por videollamada con representantes del Congreso en busca de apoyo para la propuesta de una norma federal que establecería una cantidad mínima de personal en estos establecimientos. Finalmente, después […]
Cansados de pelear con las aseguradoras, hospitales ofrecen sus propios planes Medicare Advantage
Desde que Larry Wilkewitz, de 79 años, se jubiló de una empresa de productos de madera, hace más de 20 años, ha tenido un plan comercial de Medicare Advantage ofrecido por la aseguradora Humana. Pero hace dos años, escuchó sobre Peak Health, un nuevo plan Advantage creado por el Sistema de Salud de la Universidad […]
These 3 Policy Moves Are Likely To Change Health Care for Older People
Month after month, Patricia Hunter and other members of the Nursing Home Reform Coalition logged onto video calls with congressional representatives, seeking support for a proposed federal rule setting minimum staff levels for nursing homes. Finally, after decades of advocacy, the Biden administration in 2023 tackled the problem of perennial understaffing of long-term care facilities. […]
Kaiser Permanente To Pay $556 Million in Record Medicare Advantage Fraud Settlement
In the largest Medicare Advantage fraud settlement to date, Kaiser Permanente has agreed to pay $556 million to settle Justice Department allegations that it billed the government for medical conditions patients didn’t have. The settlement, announced Jan. 14, resolves whistleblower lawsuits that accused the giant health insurer of mounting a years-long scheme in which it […]
Nuevas alternativas para resolver la crisis del cuidado de salud en casa
Estás listo para salir del hospital, pero todavía no te sientes en condiciones de cuidarte solo en casa. O bien ya terminaste un par de semanas de rehabilitación. ¿Podrás manejar una rutina complicada de medicamentos, además de hacer las compras y cocinar? Tal vez te caíste en la ducha y ahora tu familia quiere que […]
Older Americans Quit Weight-Loss Drugs in Droves
Year after year, Mary Bucklew strategized with a nurse practitioner about losing weight. “We tried exercise,” like walking 35 minutes a day, she recalled. “And 39,000 different diets.” But 5 pounds would come off and then invariably reappear, said Bucklew, 75, a public transit retiree in Ocean View, Delaware. Nothing seemed to make much difference […]