PolitiFact: Chamber Medicare claims twist the truth

By Aaron Sharockman and Angie Drobnic Holan, Times Staff Writers Sunday, May 20, 2012 You can officially abandon any hope of a respite from political ads this spring and summer. The latest: a TV ad from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce claiming seniors could lose coverage thanks to "Obamacare." It pins the blame on U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. You've probably seen it. The ad intersperses its own…

Medicare Locals’ e-health system receives $50m funding

The Medicare Locals network has received $50 million in funding over two years to help general practitioners and healthcare providers use the e-health record system.

DOF: Some Medicare funds missing

The Department of Finance has warned that some Medicare funds the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. has received since its transition on Oct. 1 are unaccounted for or may have been stolen, prompting it to call for CHC to immediately review its financial records even as Medicare is already threatening to remove CHC's Medicare certification.

DOF: Some Medicare funds missing

The Department of Finance has warned that some Medicare funds the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. has received since its transition on Oct. 1 are unaccounted for or may have been stolen, prompting it to call for CHC to immediately review its financial records even as Medicare is already threatening to remove CHC's Medicare certification.

DOF: Some Medicare funds missing

The Department of Finance has warned that some Medicare funds the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. has received since its transition on Oct. 1 are unaccounted for or may have been stolen, prompting it to call for CHC to immediately review its financial records even as Medicare is already threatening to remove CHC's Medicare certification.

Entitlement Reform For the Entitled

The richer you are, the older you should have to be to collect Social Security and Medicare benefits.

Entitlement Reform For the Entitled

The richer you are, the older you should have to be to collect Social Security and Medicare benefits.

Medicare quality ratings for private plans questioned by critics

As the federal government pumps billions of bonus dollars into private Medicare health plans to encourage better care, the quality rating system used to award the bonuses is coming under increasing fire. Read full article >>

Medicare quality ratings for private plans questioned by critics

As the federal government pumps billions of bonus dollars into private Medicare health plans to encourage better care, the quality rating system used to award the bonuses is coming under increasing fire. Read full article >>

Medicare Study Shows Costs Lowest In Alaska, Highest In Nevada

A new national study of Medicare costs shows Alaska with the lowest health care expenses of any state in the nation, although coming changes to how those costs are calculated may dethrone the state. Alaska spends just $15,550 per Medicare patient, per visit, the study says, far below the national median of $17,988, as measured from May 2010 to February 2011. The runner-up was New Mexico, with an…

Medicare Study Shows Costs Lowest In Alaska, Highest In Nevada

A new national study of Medicare costs shows Alaska with the lowest health care expenses of any state in the nation, although coming changes to how those costs are calculated may dethrone the state. Alaska spends just $15,550 per Medicare patient, per visit, the study says, far below the national median of $17,988, as measured from May 2010 to February 2011. The runner-up was New Mexico, with an…

Fixing Medicare’s Double-Counting Problem

Last week I argued that budgeting for Medicare's hospital insurance program is flawed. Today, I offer two ways to fix it. …

How to fix flawed Medicare budgeting

Budgeting for Medicare's hospital insurance program is flawed. Here are two ways to fix it.

How to fix flawed Medicare budgeting

Budgeting for Medicare's hospital insurance program is flawed. Here are two ways to fix it.

Study: Pay-for-performance did not reduce deaths in Medicare pilot program

A large Medicare pilot program that paid hospitals more if they consistently hit certain quality targets did not reduce the number of patients who died within 30 days of admission to the hospital, a study published online Wednesday by the New England Journal of Medicine found. The results are “sobering,” the study authors wrote, given that the program served as a model for a major national…