Medicare Medicaid Category

Medicare & Medicaid

News articles in this section include actions by federal regulators like the CMS and HHS, as well as information on Medicare and state Medicaid coverage and benefits.

Most Medicare Advantage Markets Are Highly Concentrated

Medicare Advantage (MA) markets are highly concentrated across the country, according to a new study from KFF. As of 2024, 90% of Medicare beneficiaries live in a county where those enrolled in MA had plans sponsored by just one or two insurers, according to the report. The researchers found that 79% of counties were highly ...

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Over Half Of Americans Say ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Going To Raise Health Care Costs: Poll

More than half of Americans — 57 percent — said in a new survey that they think the GOP’s sweeping package extending tax cuts and slashing welfare services will increase their health-care costs. Thirteen percent in the CBS/YouGov poll released Sunday said that the “big, beautiful bill” will lower their health-care costs and 33 percent said there will be ...

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CMS Under Dr. Oz: 15 Key Actions

CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, MD, is charting an ambitious path to reshape federal healthcare policy in line with President Donald Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. His vision comes as President Trump on July 4 signed The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a sweeping package of reforms targeting Medicaid, Medicare, and the ACA marketplace. From plans to ...

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The Megabill’s Medicaid Cuts Shocked Hospitals, But They May Never Happen

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act that Trump signed on the 4th of July will take a $340 billion bite out of hospital budgets over a decade to pay for tax cuts and other Trump priorities. Then again, maybe it won’t.

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CMS Proposes 3.6% Pay Bump For Docs, Takes Aim At Chronic Conditions In Physician Fee Schedule

The Trump administration is proposing a pay bump for physicians in 2026, alongside new reforms that align with the agency’s Make America Healthy Again positioning. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the proposed physician fee schedule on Monday evening, which would set the conversion factor, or the amount that Medicare pays per work ...

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Hospitals, Health Care Providers Warn Medicaid Cuts Will Be Felt By People Not On Medicaid

Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is warning Nevadans that President Donald Trump’s spending and tax cut bill will ripple through every aspect of the state’s health care system, going far beyond those who directly rely on Medicaid. Hospitals are already assessing whether they may need to cut staff or reduce services, said Cortez Masto during ...

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Congress Revives Fight For Coverage For Wegovy And Other Weight-Loss Drugs

Members of the House have brought back efforts to pass the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act bill. The bill would have a direct effect only on Medicare Part D prescription drug plans: It would let the plans cover weight-loss drugs for obese people and for overweight people with weight-related health problems. The drug coverage provision does ...

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Blue Shield Of California Cuts Medicare Advantage Broker Commissions

Blue Shield of California is cutting broker commissions for new enrollments into Medicare Advantage PPO plans in Alameda, Orange and San Diego counties, effective July 1. The new policy does not affect commission payments of existing membership, according to a June memo sent to brokers. Several large insurers have cut MA commissions recently, including UnitedHealthcare, Elevance Health ...

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Senate Referee Rejects Key Medicaid Cuts In Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’

Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has rejected key Medicaid provisions in the Senate GOP megabill, a ruling that appears to strike a major blow to Republicans’ strategy for cutting federal spending. The Senate’s referee rejected a plan to cap states’ use of health care provider taxes to collect more federal Medicaid funding, a proposal that would have generated ...

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House GOP Moderates Tell Leadership They Won’t Back Senate Tax Bill Over Medicaid Cuts

More than a dozen House Republicans warned they won’t support the Senate’s version of the tax and spending bill because the proposed Medicaid cuts are too steep. Led by Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.), 15 other vulnerable Republicans sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) saying they support the Medicaid reforms in the ...

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