Medicare News Blog

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

medicare poster — Fri, 18 May 2012 06:10:27 +0000

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…

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

medicare poster — Fri, 18 May 2012 06:10:27 +0000

Report: State’s Medicare costs sixth highest in nation

medicare poster — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:44:39 +0000

The average Medicare expense for hospital patients in Connecticut is the sixth highest in the nation, ac-cording to a recent review aimed at making health care more efficient.

Report: State’s Medicare costs sixth highest in nation

medicare poster — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:44:39 +0000

The average Medicare expense for hospital patients in Connecticut is the sixth highest in the nation, ac-cording to a recent review aimed at making health care more efficient.

Medicare Advantage Reform: Detaching Pay from Performance

medicare poster — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:29:11 +0000

Medicare Advantage Medicare, but they also have the ability to offer coordinated care, disease management, phone consultations, and other services that have the…

Some Can Switch Medicare Advantage Plans Mid-Year

medicare poster — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:13:42 +0000

I am not happy with my Medicare Advantage plan. Can I switch plans in the middle of the year, or do I have to wait until open enrollment for next year's plans? In most cases, you

Some Can Switch Medicare Advantage Plans Mid-Year

medicare poster — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:13:42 +0000

I am not happy with my Medicare Advantage plan. Can I switch plans in the middle of the year, or do I have to wait until open enrollment for next year's plans? In most cases, you

Medicare changes threaten hospitals

medicare poster — Thu, 17 May 2012 04:41:43 +0000

[Editors note: The congressional delegation has concerns about Medicare payments. An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the issue was with Medicaid payments. Medicare previously paid back small rural hospitals for taxes the hospita…

Medicare changes threaten hospitals

medicare poster — Thu, 17 May 2012 04:41:43 +0000

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

medicare poster — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:06:41 +0000

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

medicare poster — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:06:41 +0000

Clipboard: Patients enlisted to fight Medicare fraud using easier-to-read bills

medicare poster — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:56:57 +0000

Medicare is revamping its billing formats to make it easier for seniors to spot and report fraudulent charges, Susan Jaffe reports for the Washington Post and Kaiser Health News. The new format goes online Saturday and will be rolled out in paper bills next year. It highlights a $1,000 reward for significant tips.

Clipboard: Patients enlisted to fight Medicare fraud using easier-to-read bills

medicare poster — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:56:57 +0000

Dueling letters on $275 million Medicare windfall for Mass. hospitals

medicare poster — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:46:28 +0000

A group of state hospital associations from around the country last month asked the Obama administration to take a closer look at a provision of the Affordable Care Act that will land Massachusetts hospitals an extra $275 million or more in yearly Medicare reimbursements. The letter prompted Senator John Kerry and others in the Massachusetts congressional delegation to respond Tuesday, calling…

Dueling letters on $275 million Medicare windfall for Mass. hospitals

medicare poster — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:46:28 +0000

That Which is Unsustainable Will Go Away: Medicare

medicare poster — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:23:22 +0000

Medicare is an example of an unsustainable system that will go away in the decade ahead. Here are the sobering facts about the number of workers and those drawing Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid entitlements in the U.S.

That Which is Unsustainable Will Go Away: Medicare

medicare poster — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:23:22 +0000

Home Health Aide and Medicare

medicare poster — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:18:25 +0000

In our last article, we addressed the question of Medication Management and Medicare. That stirred a number of additional questions concerning Medicare coverage and home-care services. One of the most frequent questions involves having a Home Health Aide in the home to provide assistance with bathing.

Medicare cheaters are soaking the taxpayers

medicare poster — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:55:35 +0000

Last year, the federal budget took a hit of $60 billion due to Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse, according to the U.S. Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services. This month, federal officials charged more than 100 health-care providers with Medicare fraud as a result of unrelated scams in seven major cities. Federal raids uncovered $452 million worth of false Medicare claims for…

Medicare cheaters are soaking the taxpayers

medicare poster — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:55:35 +0000

When a Spending Cut Can Be Like a Tax Increase

medicare poster — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Spending cuts in programs that are means-tested can have a very similar effect to raising taxes, an economist writes, using Medicare proposals as an example.

AARP arming for Medicare battle

medicare poster — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:52:16 +0000

"Imagine a world without Medicare." That's the rallying cry of a new grassroots campaign launched today by the giant seniors group AARP that will include town hall meetings in 50 states and national television ads. read more

AARP arming for Medicare battle

medicare poster — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:52:16 +0000

Bensalem man gets 46 months in Medicare scam

medicare poster — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:09:59 +0000

A Bensalem man who ran the day-to-day operations of an Olney-based private ambulance company for almost seven years was sentenced to 46 months in a federal lockup Tuesday for his role in a scheme to bilk Medicare. U.S. District Judge William H. Yohn, Jr. also ordered Ivan Tkach, 30, to pay resititution of more than $1.2 million to Medicare. Yohn gave Tkach until June 15 to report to the Bureau…

Bensalem man gets 46 months in Medicare scam

medicare poster — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:09:59 +0000

Some Can Switch Medicare Advantage Plans Mid-Year

medicare poster — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:55:10 +0000

Those with access to a five-star plan don't have to wait until open enrollment to switch to it.

Romney Medicare Plan Draws a Stark Contrast

medicare poster — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:54:48 +0000

President Obama and Mitt Romney agree on one thing about Medicare: the differences between them are huge. Each man says his opponent’s policies would end Medicare as it now exists, undermining the rock-solid guarantee of health care for older Americans.

Romney Medicare Plan Draws a Stark Contrast

medicare poster — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:54:48 +0000

Cost Of Cancer Pills Can Be Hard For Medicare Patients To Swallow

medicare poster — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:05:58 +0000

How some insurers pay for treatments means that cancer pills can wind up costing a patient more than an IV. Some states have passed laws to make sure that patients don't have to pay more to take pills. But those laws don't apply to Medicare.

Romney Medicare Plan Draws Stark Contrast With Obama’s

medicare poster — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:01:29 +0000

Mitt Romney says President Obama has no workable plan to prevent Medicare from going bankrupt, and that he is offering “a dramatic change in perspective and philosophy.”