Medicare
Republicans Float Changes to Social Security and Medicare
WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans, eyeing a midterm election victory that could hand them control of the House and the Senate, have embraced plans to reduce federal spending on Social Security and Medicare, including cutting benefits for some retirees and raising the retirement age for both safety net programs. Prominent Republicans are billing the moves as […]
Know More
Social Security’s Cost-of-Living Increase Will Be Largest in Four Decades, an Estimate Says
More than 70 million Americans who receive Social Security benefits can expect an inflation adjustment to their monthly checks next year that will be the largest in four decades. Government inflation figures for August, released on Tuesday, point to a Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, known as the COLA, of 8.7 percent, according to an estimate […]
Know More
Climate and Tax Bill Scales Crucial Senate Hurdle, Paving Path to Passage
WASHINGTON — A divided Senate took a crucial step on Saturday toward approving Democrats’ plan to tackle climate change, bring down health care costs and raise taxes on large corporations, with a test vote that paved the way to enact a significant piece of President Biden’s domestic agenda in the coming days. The measure advanced […]
Know More
Democrats’ Long-Sought Plan for Lowering Drug Costs Is at Hand
WASHINGTON — For decades, as prescription drug costs have soared, Democrats have battled with the pharmaceutical industry in pursuit of an elusive goal: legislation that could drive down prices by allowing Medicare to negotiate directly with drug makers. Now they are on the verge of passing a broad budget bill that would do just that, […]
Know More
Democrats Propose Raising Taxes on Some High Earners to Bolster Medicare
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats will push to raise taxes on some high-earning Americans and steer the money to improving the solvency of Medicare, according to officials briefed on the plan, as they cobble together a modest version of President Biden’s stalled tax and spending package. The proposal is projected to raise $203 billion over a […]
Know More
Medicare Advantage Plans Often Deny Needed Care, Federal Report Finds
Every year, tens of thousands of people enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans are denied necessary care that should be covered under the program, federal investigators concluded in a report published on Thursday. The investigators urged Medicare officials to strengthen oversight of these private insurance plans, which provide benefits to 28 million older Americans, and […]
Know More
Inside a Campaign to Get Medicare Coverage for a New Alzheimer’s Drug
In the interview, Mr. Johns echoed these explanations. Asked if association officials had communicated with Biogen since Medicare’s proposal, he said, “I think probably some of our folks have had a conversation or more along the way” and that Biogen’s staff “occasionally pass along a piece of information, but I can tell you that we […]
Know More
Financial Planning for People With Chronic Diseases
Before she became eligible for Medicare, Deborah Rosenwinkel, who lives in Wheaton, Ill., and has rheumatoid arthritis, used a manufacturer’s discount card for Enbrel, a biologic she injected at home once a week. The $12,000 card covered her deductible and co-payments, while her individual insurance policy picked up the balance, of up to $80,000 a […]
Know More
Alzheimer’s Drug Aduhelm Faces Crucial Medicare Decision
Posts supporting coverage include comments from people who have consulted for Biogen, like Dr. Jeffrey Cummings, a research professor in the department of brain health at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He wrote that the drug “prolongs the mental life of our declining patients,” adding, “Medicare should unequivocally support coverage for aducanumab, and they […]
Know More