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.
Medicare beneficiaries face wide variation in spending for specialty drugs across Part D plans, according to a new analysis. A report from GoodRx finds coverage variations between plans can lead to high out-of-pocket costs for medications, based on the top specialty medications covered under an Aetna Part D plan with more than 445,000 members. For example, the ...
Health spending would increase by almost a quarter of its current funding level as the White House aims to build a new health research agency, eliminate racial and socioeconomic disparities, and beef up the nation’s public health preparedness. President Joe Biden’s budget request, released Friday, includes includes $133.7 billion for the Department of Health and Human ...
Nevada’s bid to enact the second state-based public option health benefit plan in the nation passed the state Senate Monday on a 12-9 party line vote and moved to the Assembly with one week remaining in the session.
A pair of bills recently introduced in the House and Senate aim to ensure that a boom in telehealth use during the pandemic does not go away. A House bill introduced Monday and a Senate bill introduced Tuesday both aim to make certain telehealth flexibilities permanent for Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries.
Many progressive Democrats and President Biden face the political reality that sweeping health care overhauls are unlikely to be successful in the short term, meaning their hopes could instead be based on building on recent changes to the Affordable Care Act and the cost of prescription drugs Lower medication. Almost 1.4 million uninsured people are ...
Employers and their workers have hundreds of billions of dollars at stake in the fight over House Democrats’ drug pricing bill, according to a new West Health Policy Center analysis. Why it matters: If anyone has the political clout to take on the drug industry, it’s employers. By the numbers: The House bill could reduce employer health spending by ...
A group of insurers and brokers has created a new advocacy group aimed at preserving health reimbursement arrangements that could be targeted by the Biden administration. The new HRA Council, launched Friday, will serve as a nonpartisan advocacy group aimed at raising awareness about individual and small employer HRAs, which allow employers to subsidize their ...
President Biden proposed lowering the age of Medicare eligibility to 60 during the presidential campaign and reiterated his support recently, with the goal of broadening coverage and making health coverage affordable for older adults. Proposals to lower the age of Medicare, either to 60 or a younger age, may be considered by Congress. One KFF analysis shows ...
Congress is eying changes to Medicare Advantage that would crack down on prior authorization tactics insurers use to rein in healthcare costs but can affect how providers care for patients. Rep. Susan DelBene (D-Wash.), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), Ami Bera (D-Calif.) and Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) reintroduced a bill Thursday that aims to quicken the prior authorization ...
House Republicans want their Democratic counterparts to endorse more bipartisan-friendly reforms to drug pricing as the chances of a bill to give Medicare negotiating power look dim. Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee endorsed during a hearing on Tuesday legislation that includes a series of reforms including an out-of-pocket cost cap for seniors ...