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.

Ban On Negotiating Medicare Drug Prices Under Pressure

Donna Weiner looks at Medicare’s prescription drug program from two different points of view. As a participant, she wants to pay less for her medicines, which cost her about $6,000 a year. As a retired accountant who spent 50 years handling the books for companies, she sees a way to get there. “You know from working in ...

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The Public Backs Medicare Rx Price Negotiation Even After Hearing Both Sides’ Views

As Congress debates cutting prescription drug costs, a poll released Tuesday found the vast majority of adults — regardless of their political party or age — support letting the federal government negotiate drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries and those in private health insurance plans. The argument that pharmaceutical companies need to charge high prices to ...

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Democrats Dial Back Drug-Pricing Plans To Win Over Moderates

Leadership may drop efforts to have the government directly negotiate the prices for medicines in private insurance plans and make fewer drugs subject to negotiations in Medicare, among the changes under consideration.

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Democrats Weigh Health Care Provisions In $3.5 Trillion Bill

Democratic leaders struggling to satisfy both progressive and moderate factions’ demands are still trying to resolve divisions over scaling back the expansive health care policy wish list in their $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package. A smattering of members in both chambers have concerns with key issues ranging from drug pricing to Medicare spending, while Democratic ...

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Health Insurance Stocks Surge In 2020-2021

There are many theories about what is (and what is not) a good indicator of a stock’s future growth (or decline). However, it is important to note that investment articles – for good reason – usually include an advisory about past performance not being a recommendation or guarantee of any future outcome or profit. Investing is a ...

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Limiting Medicare Benefits Deepens Rift Among Hill Democrats

Means-testing Medicare, a long-running controversy in health policy debates, is re-emerging as a major source of tension for Democrats seeking a path forward on their stalled social spending package. Centrist lawmakers are demanding that an expansion of the program to cover dental, vision and hearing care be limited to the poorest Americans, to pare the ...

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CMS: Employer Plans Can’t Deny Benefits To Unvaccinated Customers But Can Offer Premium Discounts

Employer group health plans cannot deny benefits to customers who have not gotten the COVID-19 vaccine but can offer premium discounts to customers who decide to get the shot, new guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said. But plans that increase premiums on the unvaccinated will have that increase count toward ...

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The U.S. Is The Drug Industry’s Gold Mine

Americans are paying pharmaceutical companies more for the world's 20 blockbuster drugs than the rest of the world combined, according to an analysis of company financial filings by Public Citizen.

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Democrats Promised To Slash Drug Prices. Now Internal Clashes Are Standing In The Way.

When House Democrats made their pitch for the majority ahead of the 2018 midterms, party leaders focused their message on “kitchen table” economic issues — and one in particular that, according to polls and focus groups, resonated broadly across America’s political divides.

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Medicare Advantage Premiums To Decline Slightly In 2022, Part D To Rise By Nearly 5%

Average Medicare Advantage plan premiums are expected to hit $19 per month next year, a slight decline from the $21.22 in 2021.

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