Latest Medicare health plans News
What's in, and what's out, as Democrats trim Biden bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — After months of talks, Democrats are edging closer to an agreement on what programs and policies to include in President Joe Biden's massive plan to expand health and safety net programs and combat global warming. The plan seems likely to include an...
Income test for Medicare dental under debate; gets pushback
WASHINGTON (AP) — For more than 55 years, Medicare has followed a simple policy: covered benefits are the same, no matter if you’re rich, poor, or in-between. But as Democrats try to design a dental benefit for the program, one idea calls for limiting it based on...
In quiet debut, Alzheimer's drug finds questions, skepticism
The first new Alzheimer’s treatment in more than 20 years was hailed as a breakthrough when regulators approved it more than four months ago, but its rollout has been slowed by questions about its price and how well it works. Several major medical centers remain...
Social Security checks getting big boost as inflation rises
WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of retirees on Social Security will get a 5.9% boost in benefits for 2022. The biggest cost-of-living adjustment in 39 years follows a burst in inflation as the economy struggles to shake off the drag of the coronavirus pandemic. The COLA, as...
Feds OK Colorado plan to cover gender-affirming care
DENVER (AP) — Colorado will include gender confirmation care in its individual and small group health insurance plans, state and federal officials announced Tuesday. The state's plan under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will include jaw, cheek and eye...
Ghost towns: Nursing home staffing falls amid pandemic
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — When Natalie Walters arrived at her father’s nursing home, the parking lot was nearly empty and, inside, the elevator made no stops. On the 13th floor, the lights were off and the TVs silent. The last time she was allowed inside, nine months earlier, aides passed in...
Ban on negotiating Medicare drug prices under pressure
WASHINGTON (AP) — 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...
Maryland residents eligible for free medical equipment
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — From the moment doctors said she would have to undergo intensive foot surgery, Prince George’s County resident Janice Joyner knew she would have to pay for more than just a procedure. A mobility device was needed for her recovery. However,...
Study: Vaccines helped reduce COVID-19 deaths in Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Coronavirus vaccinations have helped reduce COVID-19 infections by 7,500 and deaths by 1,100 among Oklahomans aged 65 and older, according to a study released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The study of Medicare...
Consumers get online tool to check nursing home vaccine data
WASHINGTON (AP) — Families and patients have a new online tool to compare COVID-19 vaccination rates among nursing homes, Medicare announced Tuesday, addressing complaints from consumer groups and lawmakers that the critical data had been too difficult to find. The...
