Medicare

Health & Safety

What's a fair price for a prescription drug? Medicare's about to weigh in

5:01am July 28, 2023

Medicare soon will start something it hasn't done in its 58-year history: Negotiate on drug prices. On Sept. 1, Medicare will target the first 10 drugs for price negotiations.

The Food and Drug Administration has fully approved Leqembi, the first drug shown to slow down Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's drug Leqembi gets full FDA approval. Medicare coverage will likely follow

5:29pm July 06, 2023

by Jon Hamilton

The first drug found to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease has been granted full approval by the Food and Drug Administration.

The Justice Department announced charges against 78 people related to health care fraud schemes.

78 people face charges for $2.5 billion in attempted health care fraud, DOJ says

2:21pm June 28, 2023

by Jaclyn Diaz

At least $1.1 billion was actually paid out in these schemes targeting elderly patients, high-risk and low-income pregnant women and HIV patients.

Some older Americans got dozens of COVID tests they never ordered in the mail, just as the free test benefit was ending. It could mean they are at risk for more fraud involving their Medicare numbers.

Health & Safety

Seniors got COVID tests they didn't order in Medicare scam. Could more fraud follow?

8:16am May 18, 2023

by Susan Jaffe

Some seniors got dozens of COVID tests they never ordered. Bad actors may have used seniors' Medicare information to improperly bill the federal government — and could do it again, investigators say.

Hospice provides vital end-of-life support and palliative care to terminally ill patients. But it's costing Medicare billions. A new approach would eliminate waste in the program.

Health & Safety

Medicare tests a solution to soaring hospice costs: Let private insurers run it

4:21pm April 13, 2023

The end-of-life benefit costs billions a year. A new approach aims to eliminate waste and weed out bad actors, while making the care more inviting to those who most need it.

A Social Security trust fund is expected to run short of cash by 2033, according to new estimates, which would potentially reduce benefits to millions of Americans who depend on the program.

Social Security is now expected to run short of cash by 2033

4:22pm March 31, 2023

by Scott Horsley

Policymakers will need to patch the Social Security program by 2033 to avoid draconian cuts in benefits, a year earlier than had been predicted. A trust fund for Medicare will run out of cash by 2031.

Prescription drug coverage is just one part of Medicare, the federal government's health insurance program for people age 65 and over.

Why Medicare is suddenly under debate again

2:41pm March 14, 2023

As the White House and Republicans in Congress gear up for negotiations over the U.S. debt ceiling, how to pay for senior health care could be a sticking point, even if cuts are "off the table."

Queue Listen Now

President Biden speaks to the International Association of Fire Fighters at a conference in Washington on March 6, 2023.

Biden says his budget plan would extend Medicare to 2050 without adding to the deficit

12:02pm March 07, 2023

by Deepa Shivaram

President Biden is proposing to raise taxes on people who make more than $400,000 per year to make sure there's enough money for Medicare.

Physicians are lobbying Congress for a raise in Medicare reimbursement rates, among other requests.

Why hundreds of doctors are lobbying in Washington this week

6:19pm February 17, 2023

by Phil Galewitz

They came to tell Congress about their "recovery plan" for physicians, which includes a Medicare pay boost and an end to some frustrating insurance company requirements.

Last week in Florida, at the University of Tampa, President Joe Biden promised to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare, as well as lower health care costs.

How seniors could lose in the Medicare political wars

12:01pm February 16, 2023

by Julie Rovner

Politicians are again pointing fingers over cutting Medicare. Any party accused of threatening the program tends to lose elections, but without a bipartisan agreement, seniors stand to lose the most.