Medicare News

In 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released an online tool to check the prices of prescription drugs used by Medicare patients, and that tool has now been updated with the latest figures on spending. The drug tracking tool was necessary because of the rise in prices over the last few years, something that shows no signs of

In 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) set out to help reconcile the perceived disparities in the care their funding provides to minority groups versus the rest of the general population. According to the CMS, the Equity Plan contains a three-part path to equity framework: increasing understanding and awareness of care disparities, solution development and dissemination, and

When former President Obama introduced the Affordable Health Act (ACA), he completely changed the way health insurance was sold and administered in the United States. The ACA brought health insurance to millions who didn’t have it before while making it easier for people with pre-existing conditions to get the coverage they needed. Not only did Obama create a whole new

Medicare is considered an entitlement because most Americans get Medicare Part A, the part that covers hospitalization, for free when they turn 65 years old. Medicare Part B, the medical portion of the program, is usually a companion of Part A, but seniors pay a monthly premium for medical coverage. Medicare Part D, which covers prescriptions, also requires a monthly

With all the news surrounding healthcare reform since President Trump took office in January, there’s been plenty of speculation and few facts on how the new administration is going to handle Medicare. The president’s campaign promises and conflicting statements from members of Congress don’t help. Trump also muddied the waters this week with statements on medication costs for those on

Healthcare has been at the center of the political debate for months, and there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight to the discussion. In fact, it seems as if the debate is just now heating up, fueled by promises made by President Trump and fellow Republicans who now control Congress. And while there are a lot of promises

President Trump didn’t say much, if anything at all, about changing Medicare while he was on the campaign trail – and for good reason. Despite its status as an entitlement program, Medicare is popular among liberals and conservatives, Republicans and Democrats, and just about every American. But while he was mum on Medicare reform before he took office, Trump now

In the discussion of healthcare and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), it’s important to understand that no one really knows what is going to happen. All we can do at this point is speculate based on what key players within the industry and the political arena have said. Of course, when politicians introduce a plan, they try to make it

Before the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Innovation Center was established in 2010, there weren’t many rigorous efforts in play to reduce costs and improve the quality of healthcare under Medicare. Since its inception, the CMS Innovation Center has focused on improving healthcare and cutting costs so that members enjoy greater benefits. Much of the center’s work revolves around

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a long list of changes for the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) that are intended to streamline certain systems and encourage quality health care by hospitals and their off-campus affiliate locations. Changes deal primarily with streamlining billing processes, creating more transparency for the patient and increasing compensation for hospitals