01/05/2009
A report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected that a plan to permit Americans ages 62 to 64 to buy into Medicare would reduce costs and expand coverage more effectively than private health insurance. In most cases, people become eligible for Medicare at age 65. Sacramento Business Journal.
12/19/2008
Two reports from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimate that plans offered by President-elect Barack Obama and other Democrats to reduce health care costs would yield moderate savings. CBO evaluated more than 100 plans for the reports. Bloomberg/Philadelphia Inquirer et al.
12/19/2008
Some California nursing home industry and patient advocates argue that CMS' new five-star nursing home rating system is flawed because the agency uses data that is up to three years old and rates nursing homes on incomplete data. Riverside Press-Enterprise.
12/18/2008
On Wednesday, federal agents raided the Mission Viejo headquarters of Ensign Group, a national chain of convalescent homes. Company officials said the raid appears to be part of an investigation into suspected Medicare fraud. Orange County Register.
12/18/2008
Data for the ratings come from state inspection reports, and overall ratings will focus largely on staffing and facilities' performance on 10 quality measures. Nursing home officials have criticized the effort, arguing that state inspection data will not provide an accurate view of care. USA Today et al.
12/18/2008
California Rep. Pete Stark said that Congress could wait to vote on legislation to overhaul the health care system until late in 2009 or 2010. Stark said that lawmakers first will have to direct their attention to smaller-scale health care matters and other "deferred maintenance" issues. The Hill et al.
12/16/2008
A Government Accountability Office report released Monday found that Medicare beneficiaries are withdrawing enrollment in Medicare Advantage private fee-for-service plans at an average of 21%, compared with 9% in other Medicare Advantage plans. The report found that beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage private fee-for-service plans face higher costs because of administrative burdens. CongressDaily.
12/16/2008
Some Medicare drug plans are being criticized for using reference-based pricing in which beneficiaries who choose a brand-name drug when there is a generic version available are charged a much higher price. The industry argues that the tactic helps curb rising health care costs, but critics complain that the practice can result in hidden charges. Wall Street Journal.
12/15/2008
When Democrats take control of the White House and Congress next month, they likely will make changes to Medicare. In particular, Democrats plan to target private Medicare Advantage plans and the Medicare drug benefit. Wall Street Journal.
12/12/2008
President-elect Barack Obama yesterday nominated former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle as HHS secretary. Obama said Daschle also will take a lead role in crafting the administration's proposal to overhaul the U.S. health care system. Reuters et al.
12/11/2008
Research by the Government Accountability Office shows that Medicare Advantage plans' profit was $1.6 billion above expectations for 2006. The report is slated for release today and likely will fuel calls for the government to reduce payments to private insurers participating in Medicare. AP/Albany Times Union.
12/10/2008
Research sponsored by hospital and insurer groups indicates that inadequate Medicare and Medicaid payments to hospitals and insurers drive up health care costs for businesses and workers. A coalition of labor unions and advocacy groups disputed the findings. Bloomberg et al.
12/09/2008
In talks with President-elect Obama's health care team, Senate and House leaders have raised the possibility of eliminating drugs administered by doctors from the formula used to calculate Medicare payments to physicians. Congress plans to pursue Medicare payments as part of a health care reform effort. CongressDaily.
12/05/2008
Millions of dollars in payments to health care providers in California, Nevada and Hawaii are on hold after Medicare made major changes affecting the providers this year. A program official said Medicare is aiming to resolve the problem by Dec. 31. Santa Cruz Sentinel.
12/04/2008
In a New York Times letter-to-the-editor, House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chair Pete Stark writes that he agrees with a recent editorial that argues that private Medicare Advantage plans are too expensive and do not always provide more care than traditional Medicare plans. He writes that Medicare Advantage plans "are a drain on the Medicare Trust Fund." New York Times.