Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Medicare ayuda a 575,000 personas a hacer planes para el final de la vida
En 2016, el Medicare comenzó a pagar por las sesiones en las que pacientes, médicos y familiares discuten sobre las decisiones a tomar cuando se acerca el final de la vida.
End-Of-Life Advice: More Than 500,000 Chat On Medicare’s Dime
In the first year of payments for advance-care planning sessions, once decried as ”death panels,“ use is higher than expected, new data show.
Under Trump, Hospitals Face Same Penalties Embraced By Obama
Federal records show that 2,573 hospitals around the country will have their Medicare payments reduced because they have too many patients readmitted.
Fraud And Billing Mistakes Cost Medicare — And Taxpayers — Tens Of Billions Last Year
At a hearing Wednesday, federal health officials pointed to billing errors, fraud and overcharges that led Medicare to overpay by staggering sums.
Medicare’s Financial Outlook Slightly Improved, Trustees Say
The assessment pushes back the date for the hospital insurance trust fund to go bankrupt by one year. It also says Part B premiums next year will be stable.
Half The Time, Nursing Homes Scrutinized On Safety By Medicare Are Still Treacherous
Of the 528 nursing homes that graduated from special focus status before 2014 and are still operating, more than half — 52 percent — have harmed patients or operated in a way that put patients in serious jeopardy within the past three years, a KHN analysis finds.
As Seniors Get Sicker, They’re More Likely To Drop Medicare Advantage Plans
Medicare Advantage plans offer good value and aim to keep patients healthy but sicker people are far more likely to quit because they can’t get the care they need.
Hospitals Ramp Up Hyperbaric Therapy For Diabetics, Despite Concerns
Medicare is trying to deter overuse of hyperbaric therapy, and some experts question its effectiveness for healing diabetic wounds, one of the treatment’s fastest-growing uses.
Out Of Work And Looking For Insurance: COBRA May Be The Best Bet For Now
With lots of questions about the 2018 insurance market still in play, someone who is between jobs might want to stick with their job-based insurance at least until the outlines of the health law’s marketplaces are clear in the fall.
Feds To Waive Penalties For Some Who Signed Up Late For Medicare
Medicare has not sent notice of the temporary penalty waiver to enrollees in exchanges run by the states. But Covered California plans to notify its members who are about to turn 65 — or already have — sometime this summer.