Health care providers with employees who committed Medicare fraud also face consequences. The Memphis Daily News reports that the Eye Specialty Group "can't help but question their decision to turn in a colleague for Medicare fraud. Doing the right thing, they said, has been a costly business...
Stalled health care reform efforts have created several unresolved issues, some of which related to Medicare and Medicaid. The Hill: "Medicare beneficiaries face a steep cliff in their coverage for physical therapy and similar treatments due to Congress's failure to enact a healthcare...
Consumers can switch from original Medicare plans to Medicare Advantage plans until March 31 and to help them understand the options, The Associated Press offers answers to frequent questions about Medicare Advantage plans. "The average Medicare beneficiary has about 33 Advantage plans to chose...
A new Congressional Budget Office report "provides more ammunition for Republicans who say the stimulus has been long on spending and short on creating promised jobs," The Associated Press/ABC News reports. The report says the stimulus will cost $75 billion more than expected, because of...
The Bismarck Tribune reports on a new scheme "asking seniors to pay up for not having Part D coverage. The scammers have been calling beneficiaries saying they owe a penalty for not having the Part D prescription drug coverage and that they need to pay the fine right away, said a release from...
News outlets report on concerns about Medicare costs and the difficulties consumers face when trying to find value in their health services. Jacksonville Business Journal reports on concerns about proposals to base Medicare pay on rewarding quality and notes that variation in...
News outlets report on concerns about Medicare costs and the difficulties consumers face when trying to find value in their health services. Jacksonville Business Journal reports on concerns about proposals to base Medicare pay on rewarding quality and notes that variation in...
A cardiologists' lobby filed suit against Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, claiming cuts to heart care services, especially diagnostic tests, are unjustified, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. A judge has already ruled that he can't intervene on the cardiologists' behalf...
The Wall Street Journal: "Four years ago, the U.S. government offered subsidized prescription-drug insurance to 43 million elderly and disabled, the biggest expansion of government-backed health care in decades. Today, the program is working better than many expected." One lesson could be for...
The Wall Street Journal: "Four years ago, the U.S. government offered subsidized prescription-drug insurance to 43 million elderly and disabled, the biggest expansion of government-backed health care in decades. Today, the program is working better than many expected." One lesson could be for...
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it is making $45 million in direct grants and support contracts available for State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIP). The Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 Grants are continuation funds available to 54 existing SHIP organizations in...
Thirty people have been charged in three cities for their alleged roles in schemes to submit more than $61 million in false Medicare claims as part of the continuing operation of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and...
Top Senate Democrats were prepared Monday night to sacrifice proposals to expand Medicare in a bid to win over moderates and amass the 60 votes needed to pass their health legislation, according to news reports. The Washington Post: "Democratic negotiators had already disappointed liberal...
Earlier this week, Don Fisher, PhD, President and CEO of the American Medical Group Association (AMGA), wrote to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), urging him to oppose the recently revealed idea for a Medicare "buy-in" plan. Reid had asked a group of 10 Senators, chaired by Senator Chuck...
Earlier this week, Don Fisher, PhD, President and CEO of the American Medical Group Association (AMGA), wrote to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), urging him to oppose the recently revealed idea for a Medicare "buy-in" plan. Reid had asked a group of 10 Senators, chaired by Senator Chuck...
Health insurance companies that offer private alternative Medicare plans, called Medicare Advantage, put billions of dollars toward profits and marketing rather than patient care, according to a report released Wednesday by House Democrats. Reuters: "From 2005 to 2008, Medicare...
Groups representing doctors and hospitals are coming out against the inclusion of a Medicare "buy-in" in the Senate health bill, The Washington Post reports. The groups joined Republicans in arguing "that a plan by liberal Democrats to allow uninsured individuals as young as 55 to buy into...
Ten Years Later: Look To Nurses As Champions of Patient Safety Kaiser Health News If we are to move forward, we must do a better job of providing policymakers, health care leaders and the public with the evidence showing the link between nursing care and patient safety. Any health care reform...
The proposal to expand Medicare to include people aged 55 and older as part of an alternative to creating the public option may have expanded support for the Senate version of the overhaul bill, the Los Angeles Times reports. "Despite the enthusiasm, the proposal must clear at least one big...
Ten Years Later: Look To Nurses As Champions of Patient Safety Kaiser Health News If we are to move forward, we must do a better job of providing policymakers, health care leaders and the public with the evidence showing the link between nursing care and patient safety. Any health care reform...