Aging
Most Americans Oppose GOP Plan To Cut Medicaid
Most Americans oppose the House Republicans’ plan to overhaul and slash funding of Medicaid, the state-federal program that covers 56 million low-income people, according to a poll being released today. About 60 percent of Americans want Congress to keep Medicaid in its current form with the federal government guaranteeing coverage and setting minimum benefits for states […]
Fact Check: Pat Boone On The Ryan Plan
As some Republicans distance themselves from the unpopular House-passed budget that would radically change the Medicare program, the conservative seniors group 60 Plus isn’t backing off. If anything, it is injecting new energy and money – into its defense of the Republican plan. Earlier On KHN Conservative Senior Group Comes Up Short In NY […]
Medicaid Managed Care Expands In California As State Adds Many Seniors And Disabled
Nearly 400,000 of California’s older and disabled population will receive a birthday gift this year that they may not have asked for: membership in a state-sponsored managed-care plan. They’re now covered by Medicaid, the state-federal program for the poor that is called Medi-Cal in California. Starting this month, California is requiring them to join a […]
Berwick: “I’ve Got The Back” Of Medicare Beneficiaries – The KHN Interview
As Republicans battle with Democrats and President Barack Obama over the future of the health care law, Donald Berwick, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is focused on something else. “I go to work every morning with 100 million people in mind, Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries,” Berwick says, adding, “I can […]
Panel Urges Crackdown On Medicare’s Use Of Imaging
An influential advisory group is urging Congress to crack down on doctors who order too many MRIs for seniors, setting off a battle with physicians and patient groups who argue Medicare beneficiaries might suffer significant delays in treatment. The recommendation by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission would require some physicians who order a lot of […]
Growing Hospice Care Costs Bring Concerns About Misuse
This story was produced in collaboration with our partner As she surveyed patients’ charts, Nancy Romeo, a medical review auditor at a hospice company, was surprised by the resilience of those supposedly near death. One patient admitted to hospice care in 2002 was still healthy enough in 2007 to stroll around his yard at home, […]
PhRMA Chief Says Support For Health Law ‘Was Right Decision’-The KHN Interview
One year after John Castellani took control of PhRMA, the former manufacturing executive has steered the drugmakers’ lobbying group to be ready for battle with the White House. Gone are the days where the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, is making deals with a Democratic White House and spending $101 million on advertising to […]
As The CLASS Act Comes Under Fire, The British Propose A New Model for National Long-Term Care Insurance (Guest Opinion)
Howard Gleckman is a resident fellow at The Urban Institute and author of Caring for Our Parents. Since the 1990s, nearly every developed country on the planet has reformed the way it finances long-term care for the frail elderly and adults with disabilities. Among the handful of exceptions: The U.S. and the United Kingdom. In […]
At Age 46, Is Medicare Ripe For A Change?
Medicare, the federal entitlement program for the elderly and disabled, was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson 46 years ago this week. Changes to the program, such as raising its eligibility age or requiring wealthier seniors to pay more for coverage, have been discussed in the debate over raising the federal debt ceiling and […]
The Questionable Lure Of Free Long-Term Care Placement Services (Guest Opinion)
They have enticing names that communicate understanding in regard to finding a home for an aging parent — names that use words like “mom,” “help” and “care.” They advertise expertise in the field of elder care, promising the assistance of “senior care specialists” or “personal family consultants.” Best of all, they promise “FREE” advice in […]