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.

California Counties See Drastically Different Medicare Advantage Enrollment

Altogether, more than 50 percent of eligible Medicare recipients are on the private plans, but a new report from health policy research firm KFF found drastic differences between Medicare Advantage enrollment in California regions.

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Medicare Advantage in 2024: Enrollment Update and Key Trends

Medicare Advantage enrollment has been on a steady climb for the past two decades following changes in policy designed to encourage a robust role for private plan options in Medicare.

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Patients Phoning For Medi-Cal Help Are Hit With Hourlong Waits, Disconnections, Audit Finds

When Californians phone for help with their Medicaid coverage, they routinely face waits of nearly an hour — and are regularly disconnected without reaching anyone, researchers found in a newly released analysis. An audit released Wednesday by the Children’s Partnership, an advocacy group focused on child health, found the average wait when researchers phoned in ...

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How Little Denmark Got Homegrown Giant Novo Nordisk To Lower Ozempic Prices

On May 13, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) published an open letter to Novo Nordisk on the front page of a leading Danish newspaper, urging the hometown company to live up to its altruistic standards by lowering U.S. prices for its blockbuster diabetes and weight loss drugs. What Sanders didn’t realize was that Denmark, a country ...

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CMS Announces New ‘Premium Stabilization’ Program

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is creating a voluntary demonstration program to support changes to Medicare Part D under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The agency also finalized bid information for contract year 2025, with a base beneficiary premium increase of $2.08 for people with Part D. The IRA is designed to ...

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California Made Capitation Payments for Enrollees Who Were Concurrently Enrolled in a Medicaid Managed Care Program in Another State

Why OIG Did This Audit California pays managed care organizations to make services available to eligible Medicaid enrollees in return for a monthly fixed payment (capitation payment) for each enrollee. Previous OIG audits found that State Medicaid agencies made capitation payments on behalf of enrollees who were residing and enrolled in Medicaid in another State. ...

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Part D National Average Bid Amount To Increase To $179.45 In 2025

The government subsidy to Part D plans is shifting from being reconciled on the backend to a larger risk-adjusted payment upfront.

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CMS Announces New ‘Premium Stabilization’ Program

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is creating a voluntary demonstration program to support changes to Medicare Part D under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The agency also finalized bid information for contract year 2025, with a base beneficiary premium increase of $2.08 for people with Part D. The IRA is designed to ...

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CMS: Insurers To Make $10.3B In 2023 Risk Adjustment Payments

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released new data on risk adjustment payments for 2023. The agency said (PDF) insurers participating on the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges will pay $10.3 billion as part of the risk adjustment program. Risk adjustment state transfers as a percent of premiums declined from 2022, according to the report. ...

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Lowering Prescription Costs For Medicare Beneficiaries Lifted Burdens For Nevadans, They Tell HHS Secretary

The Inflation Reduction Act calls for prescription drug prices for seniors on Medicare to be lowered and out-of-pocket expenses capped at $2,000 per year starting in 2025, the White House said. The act also capped the price of insulin, which helps regulate diabetes, at $35 a month for Medicare users.

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