Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Drug Coverage Denied By Medicare? How Seniors Can Fight Back
Senior citizens have to be patient and keep close records to appeal when Medicare plans refuse to cover their medicines.
Drugmakers Dramatically Boosted Lobbying Spending In Trump’s First Quarter
With high drug prices creating widespread controversy, top pharmaceutical companies and their trade group vastly increased their lobbying spending on Capitol Hill.
Sen. Grassley Demands Scrutiny Of Medicare Advantage Plans
The powerful chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee wants the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to explain $125 million in overcharges by insurers.
GOP Bills To Replace Obamacare Do Not Tinker With Lawmakers’ Coverage
Republicans are hoping to overhaul the federal health law. Among the law’s many provisions is a requirement that members of Congress and their staffs buy their health insurance on the law’s marketplaces.
Death By 1,000 Cuts: How Republicans Can Still Alter Your Coverage
There are many ways beyond legislative repeal for the Trump administration and congressional Republicans to unravel the Affordable Care Act.
Trump Budget Blueprint Targets Medicare Counseling Program For Cuts
In California, the proposed federal cuts could mean a 40 percent hit to counseling services that help more than half a million seniors each year.
Markups On Care Can Fatten Hospital Budgets — Even If Few Patients Foot The Full Bill
A study finds that higher charges are associated with greater payments by private insurers, which can drive up costs for employers and consumers who pay their way.
Justice Department Joins Lawsuit Alleging Massive Medicare Fraud By UnitedHealth
The Department of Justice is joining a whistleblower lawsuit in a fraud case against UnitedHealth in which damages could top $1 billion.
Dentistry Advocates Aim To Fill Medicare Gaps
Brushing aside a political climate that favors federal cuts in health care spending, advocates for oral health are pushing to expand Medicare to provide America’s elderly with dental benefits.
California Hospitals Get A Second Law On Notifying Observation Care Patients
A new federal law requires that hospitals give Medicare patients notice after placing them under observation, along with the reason why they were not officially admitted. In California, it comes on top of a state law that requires quicker notice for all observation patients but does not oblige hospitals to explain their decision not to admit.