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.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on Thursday unveiled the Biden administration’s road map to lowering the cost of prescription drugs. The plan, summarized in a 29-page document, supports legislation that allows the federal government to negotiate lower prices on the costliest drugs each year and pass those savings on to private insurers. Current ...
It’s a situation that appears incongruous: Congressional Democrats want to expand Medicare’s benefits while a trust fund that supports the program is facing insolvency. Indeed, some Republican lawmakers have seized on that looming problem as a reason to oppose a proposal to add dental, vision and hearing coverage to Medicare. The provision is included in ...
Small business owners understand the value of offering benefits, but some struggle to afford them, and businesses can pay a high price tag for making mistakes in administration of benefits, a new report finds.
If you live in one state, does it matter that the doctor treating you online is in another? Surprisingly, the answer is yes, and the ability to conduct certain virtual appointments may be nearing an end.
Uncertainty over future surges of COVID-19 and the end of regulatory flexibilities are going to be major drivers for 2022 premiums on the individual and small group markets, a new actuary report finds. The report, released Thursday (PDF) by the American Academy of Actuaries, finds insurers face major uncertainties like the end of the public health emergency ...
Medicare’s insurance trust fund that pays hospitals is expected to run out of money in 2026, the same projection as last year, according to a new report from Medicare’s board of trustees. The report, released Tuesday, found Medicare spent $925.8 billion in 2020 and served 62.6 million people. It found that the COVID-19 pandemic had a ...
Centene is consolidating all of its Medicare Advantage (MA) brands under the Wellcare name, the government insurance giant announced Thursday. Centene closed its acquisition of Wellcare Health Plans in January 2020, which led to a slew of disparate MA brands across 33 states, the company said. The $17 billion deal created one of country’s largest sponsors of government insurance. ...
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a Texas affiliate withdrew a suit filed to block parts of a federal rule requiring insurers and employers to disclose prices they pay for healthcare services and drugs.
Anthem Blue Cross and Dignity Health have mended fences and reached a new network agreement in California.
The Biden administration has delayed enforcement of key parts of a major insurer price transparency rule by six months until July 1, 2022, to give plans more time to comply. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the change in a new guidance released Friday focusing on the final price transparency rule released ...