Medicare enrollees warned about deceptive marketing schemes
With Medicare’s open enrollment underway, health experts are warning older adults about an uptick in misleading marketing tactics that might lead some to sign up for Medicare Advantage plans that don’t cover their doctors or prescriptions and drive up their out-of-pocket costs.
Go-broke dates pushed back for Social Security, Medicare
A stronger-than-expected economic recovery from the pandemic has pushed back the go-broke dates for Social Security and Medicare, but officials warn that the current economic turbulence is putting additional pressures on the bedrock retirement programs.
$2.5M cash found in PVC pipes in alleged Miami Medicare scam
MIAMI – Federal agents found $2.5 million in cash hidden in PVC pipes in the bedroom closet of a Miami man charged with bilking the government in a massive $49 million Medicare fraud scam. The cash was found sealed with plastic wrap inside pipes buried under the closet floor at Jesus Garces' home during a raid Wednesday, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Federal authorities have spent the last decade cracking down on the multi-billion Medicare fraud scams cheating taxpayers, but they rarely find cash stockpiles like this. Agents also found another $75,000 in a safe and another $280,000 in a safe at another home linked to Garces, along with seven Rolex watches. Federal investigators said he received $100,000 in cash a week over a two-year period from one of the money launderers, according to a 2019 detention order.
Biden's Medicare pick would be 1st Black woman to hold post
The agency oversees government health insurance programs covering more than 1 out of 3 Americans and is a linchpin of the health care system. CMS also plays a central role in the nation’s $4 trillion health care economy, setting Medicare payment rates for hospitals, doctors, labs and other service providers. The agency also sets standards that govern how health care providers operate. “She is well-respected and liked by the department veterans who have worked with her in the past.”Years ago, Brooks-LaSure worked with Biden's nominee to run HHS, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. AdUnder Biden, Brooks-LaSure will be expected to grow Obamacare enrollment by promoting HealthCare.gov and trying to persuade holdout states to adopt Medicaid expansion.
Trump plan to curb drug costs dealt setback in court
The Trump regulation would tie what Medicare pays for certain drugs administered in a doctor's office to the lowest price paid among a group of economically advanced countries. Some opponents have likened the Trump policy to a form of socialist price controls. Trump came into office accusing drug companies of “getting away with murder” and promising to slash costs for American patients. Even if the Trump rule is ultimately blocked, the idea of using international prices to lower costs for Americans is very much alive. It's at the heart of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's legislation to empower Medicare to negotiate drug prices.
Trump tries to revive stalled election-eve drug discounts
FILE - In this Oct. 10, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump speaks from the Blue Room Balcony of the White House to a crowd of supporters in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)WASHINGTON – The Trump administration is trying to revive the president's stalled election-eve plan to send millions of Medicare recipients a $200 prescription discount card. White House spokesman Judd Deere confirmed the administration is continuing to move forward. “It’s simply good policy, and demonstrates President Trump is continuing to deliver on his promises to our nation’s seniors to lower drug prices." Pallone dismissed the latest White House push.
Trump makes late-term bid to lower prescription drug costs
The Trump administration disputes that and says its rule could potentially result in 30% savings for patients. It also would allow private insurance plans for workers and their families get Medicare's lower prices. Trump has taken other action to lower prescription drug costs by opening a legal path for importing medicines from abroad. Also, Medicare drug plans that cap insulin costs at $35 a month are available during open enrollment, currently underway. The Food and Drug Administration has put a priority on approving generics, which cost less.
Biden has room on health care, though limited by Congress
And just like the Trump administration, Biden is expected to aggressively wield the rule-making powers of the executive branch to address health insurance coverage and prescription drug costs. With COVID-19 surging across the country, Biden's top health care priority is whipping the federal government’s response into shape. “We’re going to work quickly with the Congress to dramatically ramp up health care protections, get Americans universal coverage, lower health care costs, as soon as humanly possible,” the president-elect said earlier this week. A factor that may work in Biden's favor is that many Republicans want to change the subject on health care. Coronavirus relief legislation could provide an early vehicle for some broader health care changes.
U.S. government to pay for coronavirus vaccine costs
The United States government is planning to pay for a future coronavirus vaccine for all Americans. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services made the announcement on Wednesday and said it will pay for any vaccine authorized or approved by the Food and Drug Administration. [TRENDING: ‘Smell of rotting flesh’ leads to body in trunk | How to celebrate Halloween during pandemic | 98 ‘murder hornets’ removed]While the federal government is paying for the vaccine, insurers including Medicare, Medicaid and private plans must cover the cost of administering it. This is a costly undertaking the agency says. If the 62 million people in the Medicare program got vaccinated it would cost around $2.6 billion.
Feds issue coverage plan for COVID-19 vaccine and treatments
The regulations from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, will also increase what Medicare pays hospitals for COVID-19 treatments. Under Wednesday's announcement:— Seniors with traditional Medicare will pay nothing for COVID-19 vaccines, and any copays and deductibles are waived. — The government will pay private Medicare Advantage plans to administer the vaccine to seniors. — Workplace and individual health insurance plans will cover the COVID-19 vaccine as a preventive service, with no cost sharing. — State Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance plans will have to provide vaccines for free for the duration of the coronavirus public health emergency.
Medicare finalizing coverage policy for coronavirus vaccine
WASHINGTON – Medicare will cover the yet-to-be approved coronavirus vaccine free for older people under a policy change expected to be announced shortly, a senior Trump administration official said Tuesday. It's questionable under normal circumstances if Medicare can pay for a drug that receives emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, as expected for the eventual coronavirus vaccine. A White House-backed initiative called “Operation Warp Speed” is pushing to have a vaccine ready for distribution in the coming months. States have already begun submitting their plans for vaccine distribution to the federal government. Initially, it's expected vaccines will go to people in high-risk groups such as medical personnel, frontline workers and nursing home residents and staff.
Trump's election-eve drug discounts for seniors get snagged
A White House official had no comment on the status of the prescription cards, which Trump announced with a flourish last month during a health care speech in Charlotte, N.C. We will provide more information about the prescription drug cards soon.”One administration official said the odds are 75-25 the plan will not happen. Among them:— The White House asserted that Medicare could legally send out the discount cards under its authority to conduct “demonstration programs” testing new ideas. The $200 would test if extra cash made seniors more likely to stay on their medications and avoid costly hospitalizations. “It would do relatively little for seniors with truly catastrophic prescription drug expenses,” she said.
Walmart launches health insurance plans for seniors
Walmart is launching healthcare plans that will be available for seniors for the first time. It comes in time for Medicare open enrollment. Walmart announced the move on Tuesday. It comes as insurance companies compete for the growing number of seniors eligible for Medicare benefits. [TRENDING: Newlywed couple killed in plane crash | Ballot for dead wife meant to ‘test system’ | FSU president tests positive for COVID-19]Walmart says the insurance services will help people with the historically confusing process of enrolling in insurance plans.
News 6 teams up with WellMed to host virtual Medicare phone bank
Open enrollment for Medicare kicks off Thursday, Oct. 15, so News 6 is partnering with representatives from WellMed Medical Group and Medicare experts for a virtual phone bank to answer your questions. The phone bank will run Wednesday, Oct. 7, from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The number to call with questions is 888-664-9564. The virtual phone bank is an opportunity for the Central Florida community to get updated information on any changes to plans and policies from 2019 and all the information for newly eligible Medicare recipients. Doctors encourage anyone signing up for a Medicare plan to ask questions now, ahead of the deadline, which is Dec. 7, 2020.
Annual Medicare enrollment period is just around the corner. Here's what you need to know.
The annual Medicare enrollment period starts on Oct. 15. Learn about your options when it comes to Medicare supplement or a Medicare advantage plan. The advertiser paid a fee to promote this sponsored article and may have influenced or authored the content. The views expressed in this article are those of the advertiser and do not necessarily reflect those of this site or affiliated companies.
Trump's $200 prescription cards won't hit mailboxes just yet
Medicare enrollees can get prescription drug coverage by purchasing a “Part D” drug plan or by joining a Medicare Advantage plan. Announcing the savings cards Thursday at a speech in Charlotte, N.C., Trump called it a “historic provision” to benefit seniors. “These cards are incredible.”Using Trump's figure of 33 million people getting the $200 cards, the cost would work out to $6.6 billion, not including administrative expenses. The White House says the prescription cards are definitely coming. Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, coauthor of the bipartisan drug cost bill that stalled even with the president's endorsement, called the whole exercise a gimmick.
Dem report: Medicare chief used fed money to bolster image
The consultants, many with Republican Party ties, billed taxpayers up to $380 per hour on work largely aimed at polishing the profile of Medicare administrator Seema Verma, the investigators wrote. The contractors were “handpicked” by Verma's aides, the report said, creating “a shadow operation" that sidelined the communications staff of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “Congress did not intend for Administrator Verma or other senior CMS officials to use taxpayer dollars to stockpile CMS with handpicked consultants or promote Administrator Verma’s public profile and personal brand,” the report said. “Given the reckless disregard she has shown for the public’s trust, Administrator Verma should reimburse the taxpayers for these inappropriate expenditures,” it said. The report released Thursday was prepared by the Democratic staffs of two Senate and two House committees.
Fad or future? Telehealth expansion eyed beyond pandemic
Before the pandemic, Medicare rules required her make regular two-hour, one-way trips to New Hampshire to meet with her doctor to discuss her treatment. (AP Photo/Wilson Ring)WASHINGTON Telehealth is a bit of American ingenuity that seems to have paid off in the coronavirus pandemic. Telehealth visits dropped with the reopening, but they're still far more common than before. As the government's flagship health care program, Medicare covers more than 60 million people, including those age 65 and older, and younger disabled people. Expanded Medicare telehealth could:help move the nation closer to a long-sought goal of treating mental health the same as physical conditions.
Trump wants broader role for telehealth services in Medicare
The order President Donald Trump plans to sign Monday applies to one segment of Medicare recipients people living in rural communities. Taken together, the steps are modest far short of the health plan Trump promised when he was elected but has not been able to deliver. The telehealth measure directs the departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, as well as other agencies, to work together to promote the availability of services in rural communities. And it aims to permanently expand the kinds of services that can be provided via telehealth. Medicare has greatly expanded coverage of telehealth across the country as part of its emergency plan to confront the coronavirus pandemic.
Medicare coverage for Alzheimer brain scans in question
A big study to help Medicare officials decide whether to start covering brain scans to check for Alzheimers disease missed its goals for curbing health care costs, calling into question whether the pricey tests are worth it. Advocates for coverage say they hope to persuade the agency that the scans still offer benefits even if they dont save much or any money. They were given scans and compared to Medicare recipients who were similar in age, sex and other factors but not given scans. If it was any other disease, people would want a specific diagnosis" and the scans give that, he said. But with a blood test on the horizon for diagnosing the disease, relying on scans may become a moot issue, he said.
With no new law to curb drug costs, Trump tries own changes
At a White House ceremony Friday, Trump signed four executive orders. Friday's event was definitely not the bill-signing the White House had once hoped for. Neither side in Congress has had an incentive to deal, and the White House has been unable to work Trump's will. Another Gallup-West Health survey found 65% saying the Trump administration had made little or no progress limiting increases in prescription drug costs. Drugmakers are particularly leery of the approach, since Democrats want to use it more broadly to allow Medicare to directly negotiate prices.
With no deal to curb drug costs, Trump tries his own changes
WASHINGTON Unable to land the big deal with Congress to curb drug costs, President Donald Trump is moving on his own to allow imports of prescription medicines, along with other limited steps that might have some election-year appeal. At a White House ceremony, Trump is set to sign four executive orders. Neither side in Congress has had an incentive to deal, and the White House has been unable to work Trump's will. It had no path forward in the Senate, and the White House calls it unworkable. Another Gallup-West Health survey early in the year found 65% saying the Trump administration had made little or no progress limiting increases in prescription drug costs.
Watchdog report faults Medicare agency's contract management
The contracts, which are no longer active, were for strategic communications services, such as public engagement and interacting with the media. In a response that accompanies the report, she said CMS has deep concerns" with the conclusions, which are based on unsubstantiated assumptions and incomplete analysis." She also said the report relies on mischaracterizations of contractor tasks and duties and misrepresents federal acquisition rules. As head of CMS, Verma has enjoyed strong support from the White House but has clashed with health secretary Alex Azar. Vermas expansion of Medicare telehealth services may well be her most lasting accomplishment.
DOJ: Florida man planned to use coronavirus business loans to defraud Medicare $5.6M
The forgivable loans authorized under the federal CARES Act are for small businesses to help with payroll, mortgages, rent and utilities. Investigators said Belone supplied fake tax documents and a doctored profit and loss statement for his business, which included fraudulent claims to Medicare for orthotic braces. Orthotic braces can be used to support hips, knees or other joints. Investigators interviewed several patients who said they did not want or need orthotic braces and had not authorized their Medicare numbers to be used to submit claims for the items. Investigators said Belone obtained $22,000 in PPP loans and then used those funds to further his Medicare scheme and sent $12,000 of the loan money to his personal account.
Medicare data: Blacks likelier to be hospitalized for COVID
WASHINGTON Blacks were nearly four times more likely than whites to be hospitalized with COVID-19 among people with Medicare, the government said Monday. From Jan. 1-May 16, more than 325,000 Medicare recipients were diagnosed with COVID-19, and nearly 110,000 were hospitalized, according to the analysis of claims data. Low-income Medicare recipients who are also covered by their state Medicaid programs had a hospitalization rate that was slightly higher than the rate for African Americans. There were fewer COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations among Medicare recipients in rural areas, when compared to cities and suburbs. The Medicare data released Monday lack complete information about deaths, since they only record those who passed away in a hospital.