MEDICARE

The bill would help many older Americans with high drug costs save thousands of dollars per year, experts say.

President Joe Biden signed Democrats’ landmark climate change and health care bill into law on Tuesday.

Biden President Joe Biden speaks before signing the Democrats' landmark climate change and health care bill in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022. It also would help an estimated 13 million Americans pay for health care insurance by extending subsidies provided during the coronavirus pandemic. “In normal times, getting these bills done would be a huge achievement,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said during the White House ceremony. He plans to hold a larger "celebration" for the legislation on Sept. 6 once lawmakers return to Washington. The White House announced Monday that it was going to deploy Biden and members of his Cabinet on a “Building a Better America Tour” to promote the recent victories.

It also would help an estimated 13 million Americans pay for health care insurance by extending subsidies provided during the coronavirus pandemic. He plans to hold a larger "celebration" for the legislation on Sept. 6 once lawmakers return to Washington. Though Democrats have labeled the measure the Inflation Reduction Act, nonpartisan analysts say it will have a barely perceptible impact on prices. Still, Biden and Democrats are hailing the legislation as a once-in-a-generation investment in addressing the long-term effects of climate change, as well as drought in the nation's West. Another $64 billion would help 13 million people pay premiums over the next three years for privately bought health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

The legislation includes the most substantial federal investment in history to fight climate change and would cap prescription drug costs.

Biden FILE - President Joe Biden in the East Room of the White House, Aug. 10, 2022, in Washington. Biden is preparing to sign Democrats' landmark climate change and health care bill. It also would help an estimated 13 million Americans pay for health care insurance by extending subsidies provided during the coronavirus pandemic. Still, Biden and Democrats are hailing the legislation as a once-in-a-generation investment in addressing the long-term effects of climate change, as well as drought in the nation’s West. Another $64 billion would help 13 million people pay premiums over the next three years for privately bought health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

Biden FILE - President Joe Biden in the East Room of the White House, Aug. 10, 2022, in Washington. Biden is preparing to sign Democrats' landmark climate change and health care bill. It also would help an estimated 13 million Americans pay for health care insurance by extending subsidies provided during the coronavirus pandemic. Still, Biden and Democrats are hailing the legislation as a once-in-a-generation investment in addressing the long-term effects of climate change, as well as drought in the nation’s West. Another $64 billion would help 13 million people pay premiums over the next three years for privately bought health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

President Joe Biden has signed Democrats’ landmark climate change and health care bill.

The House used a party-line 220-207 vote to pass the legislation.

Another $64 billion would help 13 million people pay premiums over the next three years for privately bought health insurance. More would flow from higher taxes on some $1 billion corporations, levies on companies that repurchase their own stock and stronger IRS tax collections. The bill had its roots in early 2021, after Congress approved a $1.9 trillion measure over GOP opposition to combat the pandemic-induced economic downturn. With Manchin opposing those amounts, it was sliced to a roughly $2 trillion measure that Democrats moved through the House in November. He unexpectedly sank that bill too, earning scorn from exasperated fellow Democrats from Capitol Hill and the White House.

The legislation represents a historic expansion of Medicare's power that was fiercely opposed by the pharmaceutical industry.

“Democrats believe they can spend their way out of inflation and tax their way out of recession," said Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo. Another $64 billion would help 13 million people pay premiums over the next three years for privately bought health insurance. More would flow from higher taxes on some $1 billion corporations, levies on companies that repurchase their own stock and stronger IRS tax collections. The bill had its roots in early 2021, after Congress approved a $1.9 trillion measure over GOP opposition to combat the pandemic-induced economic downturn. With Manchin opposing those amounts, it was sliced to a roughly $2 trillion measure that Democrats moved through the House in November.

Congress Budget House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022, in Washington. Democrats were poised to muscle the measure through the narrowly divided House Friday over solid Republican opposition. They employed similar party unity and Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaking vote Sunday to power the measure through the 50-50 Senate. In a pair of top Democratic health priorities, another $64 billion would help 13 million people pay premiums over the next three years for privately bought health insurance. With Manchin opposing those amounts, it was sliced to a roughly $2 trillion measure that Democrats moved through the House in November.

The GOP opposes the bill, but the same was true Sunday when Dems used Vice President Harris' tie-breaking vote to power it through the 50-50 Senate.

A flagship Democratic economic bill perched on the edge of House passage Friday, placing President Joe Biden on the brink of a back-from-the-dead triumph on his climate, health and tax goals that could energize his party ahead of November’s elections. Democrats were poised to muscle the measure through the narrowly divided House Friday over solid Republican opposition. The package is but a shadow of Biden's initial vision and was produced only after a year of often bitter infighting between party leaders, progressives and centrists led by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., empowered by that chamber's even split.

Consumer prices are cooling but remain near 40-year highs, leading experts to predict a big benefits bump in January.

The Inflation Reduction Act is not expected to bring down inflation dramatically or right away, but experts say that might not be such a bad thing given the bill's other areas of focus.

Medicare's Hospital Insurance trust fund will run out of money in 2028, trustees say.

Consumer prices are cooling but remain near 40-year highs, leading experts to predict a big benefits bump in January.

The government lays out tens of billions of dollars annually on treatments for kidney failure. Greater competition in the industry would benefit patients and taxpayers alike.

Experts say the bill would help many older Americans with high drug costs save thousands of dollars per year.

At its current pace, Medicare’s Hospital Insurance trust fund will run out of money in 2028, according to the June 2022 Medicare trustees report. If the Medicare Hospital Insurance trust fund is depleted, it doesn’t mean Medicare Part A will implode. “This part of the Medicare program won’t be able to make payments to health care providers and health insurers that are due, and those payments will become increasingly delayed over time,” says Matthew Fiedler, a senior fellow with the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), a stalwart Senate ally of former President Trump, is facing fresh uncertainty in his race for reelection after telling a podcast last week that Social Security and Medicare should be classified as discretionary spending, with Congress authorized to set their budgets every year. Johnson had been cruising to reelection in…

Autos and utilities are among market winners from climate incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, but big firms from Amazon to Ford will pay more in taxes.

Senate Democrats united behind the Inflation Reduction Act to address healthcare, taxes and climate change and to let Medicare negotiate drug prices.

The following is a transcript of an interview with GOP Sen. Rick Scott of Florida that aired Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022, on "Face the Nation."

GOP lawmakers stripped efforts by Democrats to impose a $35 price cap on the cost of insulin for many patients from the legislativle package moving through Congress.

By sunrise on Sunday, Democrats had swatted down a dozen Republican efforts to torpedo the legislation, with no clear end in sight.

The Senate voted along party lines Saturday afternoon to advance a sweeping bill to reform the tax code, tackle climate change and lower the cost of prescription drugs, taking a big step closer to giving President Biden a major victory before the November midterm elections. The Senate voted 51 to 50 to proceed to the 755-page bill,…

Parliamentarian nixes Democrats’ plan to lower drug prices for Americans with private insurance.

Congress Budget Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., speaks during a news conference Friday, Aug. 5, 2022, at the Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) (Mariam Zuhaib)WASHINGTON — (AP) — The Senate parliamentarian narrowed Democrats' plan for curbing drug prices but left it largely unscathed Saturday, Democrats said, as party leaders prepared to start moving their sprawling economic bill through the chamber. Elizabeth MacDonough, the chamber's rules arbiter, said provisions must be removed that would force drugmakers to pay rebates if their prices rise above inflation for products they sell to private insurers. But pharmaceutical companies would have to pay those penalties if their prices for drugs bought by Medicare rise too high. Other parts of the legislation, such as letting Medicare negotiate costs for the drugs it buys, capping seniors' out-of-pocket expenses and providing free vaccines, all survived.

The Senate parliamentarian narrowed Democrats' plan for curbing drug prices but left it mostly unscathed Saturday, Democrats said, as party leaders prepared to start moving their sprawling economic bill through the chamber. Elizabeth MacDonough, the chamber's rules arbiter, said provisions must be removed that would force drugmakers to pay rebates if their prices rise above inflation for products they sell to private insurers. Pharmaceutical companies would have to pay those penalties if their prices for drugs bought by Medicare rise too high.

The monthly amount that Medicare beneficiaries will pay for drug coverage is projected to inch downward, on average, according to program officials.

A Democratic bill calls for letting Medicare negotiate the price of prescription drugs. The change may result in significant savings for families, experts say.

Polling has shown for years that huge majorities of Americans from both parties support Medicare negotiation of drug prices. Advertisement“Now, finally, like every other country in the world, we’ll be able to negotiate with drug companies on expensive drugs. Faced with dwindling returns, drug companies would lack incentives to seek new uses for approved drugs, Ubl said. After launch, drug companies would face financial penalties if they continue to raise prices faster than the rate of inflation. Drug companies an incentive to capture as much profit as possible in those initial years.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (Susan Walsh)A deal on Capitol Hill that could cut prescription drug costs for millions of Medicare beneficiaries was cautiously cheered by older Americans and their advocates Thursday even as many worried it might never come to fruition. Some Medicare beneficiaries have had to pay out of pocket for recommended immunizations, such as the one against shingles. If passed, an estimated 4.1 million Medicare beneficiaries would start getting free vaccines as soon as next year, Neuman said. She is a retired nurse and her husband a retired accountant, and said that while they aren't poor, drug costs leave them little wiggle room. The cap on out-of-pocket costs would help him once it kicks in.

Some older Americans are cheering news of a deal on Capitol Hill that could lead to lower drug costs.

If passed, the energy provisions of Schumer and Manchin’s new bill would represent the most significant climate action in a generation.

Sen. Joe Manchin and Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer's Inflation Reduction Act addresses healthcare, energy and climate issues, taxes and U.S. debt.

The measure aims to prevent temporary changes from expiring soon after the pandemic-related public health emergency ends.

Medicare fraud preys on vulnerable, older people and costs the government billions of dollars a year. Seniors and their families can take steps to avoid it.

Laboratory owners and company executives are among those accused of ordering unnecessary or fraudulent medical tests and equipment.

While most Medicare enrollees pay the standard premium amounts for Part B (outpatient care) and Part D (prescription drugs), some pay more due to higher income.

Eliza Diaconescu, 73, of Lake Forest, is scheduled to appear for arraignment Monday in federal court in Chicago.

The Biden administration is warning pharmacies not to discriminate against women who may seek reproductive health prescriptions, including some that might be involved in ending a pregnancy. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) (Patrick Semansky)The Biden administration is warning pharmacies not to discriminate against women who may seek reproductive health prescriptions, including some that might be involved in ending a pregnancy. The Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday that pharmacies receiving federal money from programs such as Medicare and Medicaid cannot discriminate in how they supply medications or advise patients on prescriptions. The announcement comes as the administration seeks to ensure reproductive health services for women following last month's Supreme Court decision that ended a constitutional right to abortion. “This includes access to prescription medications for reproductive health and other types of care.”The department's guidance to pharmacies outlined several hypothetical examples of potential discrimination.

The Biden administration is warning pharmacies not to discriminate against women who may seek reproductive health prescriptions, including some that might be involved in ending a pregnancy.

Sens. Joe Manchin and Chuck Schumer craft a scaled-back version of the economic package thwarted by Manchin last year.

That would raise an estimated $203 billion over a decade, which Democrats say would be used to delay until 2031 a shortfall in the Medicare trust fund that pays for hospital care. Democrats are expected to unanimously back the Medicare solvency and prescription drug plans, one Democratic aide said. Its trust fund covering hospital services, called Part A, is financed largely from taxes deducted from peoples' paychecks. That trust fund gained two years of solvency, until 2028, in last month's report by the program's board of trustees. Without congressional action, Medicare's hospital trust fund would be able to pay only 90% of its costs in 2028 and less thereafter, the trustees said.

Senate Democrats want to boost taxes on some high earners and use the money to extend the solvency of Medicare.

Chuck Schumer is set to introduce a new reconciliation package that reflects an agreement among all Senate Democrats.

Depending on the specifics of your Medicare plan, you may not have coverage at your destination, whether in the U.S. or beyond its borders. Here's what to know.

Even a decade in, the Affordable Care Act's recommendations to cover preventive screening and care without cost-sharing remain confusing and complex.

Whether a simple operation is performed under the auspices of a hospital or at an independent surgery center can make a huge difference in cost.

The 60 Plus Association claims the West Virginia Democrat wants to strip $300 billion from Medicare. A lot of that is Washington funny money.

A Cuban man charged in a $4.2 million Medicare fraud scheme is being held as a flight risk after officials said he tried to flee the U.S. on a Jet Ski.

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.

Medicare recipients will get a premium reduction — but not until next year.

Since the health industry is always evolving, making the right choice when it comes to your health insurance can be difficult.

Biogen is looking for a new CEO less than a year after its launch of its Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm largely fizzled.

Medicare says it’s considering a cut in enrollee premiums, after officials stuck with an earlier decision to sharply limit coverage for a pricey new Alzheimer’s drug projected to drive up program costs.

Medicare says that millions of enrollees will finally have access to free over-the-counter COVID-19 tests at drug stores.

The House has passed a bill capping the monthly cost of insulin at $35 for insured patients.

When the end of the COVID-19 pandemic comes, it could create major disruptions for U.S. health care.

Legislation to limit insulin costs for people with diabetes is getting a new push in the Senate.

Two widely supported bills are encountering delays in the Senate.

The Biden administration says people with Medicare will be able to get up to eight free over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per month, starting in early spring.

Medicare says it's shining a light on key markers for nursing home quality.

The requirements, which apply to providers that take part in the Medicaid and Medicare programs, will start to take effect Thursday in Florida.

Medicare says it will limit coverage of a $28,000-a-year Alzheimer’s drug whose benefits have been widely questioned.

U.S. health secretary Xavier Becerra is ordering Medicare to reassess a big premium increase facing millions of seniors this year.

The head of a Senate panel that oversees Medicare says the Biden administration should cut back a hefty premium increase soon to hit millions of enrollees.

A new $56,000-a-year Alzheimer’s medication that’s leading to one of the biggest increases ever in Medicare premiums is highlighting the limitations of President Joe Biden’s strategy for curbing prescription drug costs.

President Joe Biden is pledging his social agenda legislation will deliver tangible savings on prescription drugs for all Americans.

Sen. Bernie Sanders is asking the White House to cut back a big Medicare premium hike set to take effect in weeks and tied to a pricey Alzheimer’s drug whose benefits have been widely questioned.

Workers and families with private health insurance would reap savings on prescription drugs from a little-noticed provision in President Joe Biden's social agenda bill.

When we go to a new doctor for the first time, there are a few things doctors suggest bringing for the initial visit.

One of the questions patients often ask after they have chosen a Medicare plan is: How do I choose a provider?

A plan that works for one person might not be what works for another person.

Medicare’s “Part B” outpatient premium will jump by $21.60 a month in 2022, one of the largest increases ever.

Medicare enrollees who take expensive medicines could save thousands of dollars a year under the Democrats’ sweeping social agenda bill, but those dividends won’t come overnight.

Democrats say they have sealed a deal to lower pharmaceutical drug costs for most older Americans as part of President Joe Biden’s sweeping $1.75 trillion domestic proposal.

House Democrats have added paid family and medical leave, immigration law changes and a state-and-local tax break to President Joe Biden's $1.75 trillion social services and environmental bill.

As Medicare open enrollment is in full swing, this is a time when many Medicare beneficiaries have questions.

Two congressional aides say Democrats have made significant progress on adding compromise provisions curbing prescription drug prices to their massive social and environment package.

Medicaid issues are turning up as winners in President Joe Biden’s social budget framework even as divisions force Democrats to hit pause on far-reaching improvements to Medicare.

When shopping for a Medicare plan, one of the things people get so focused on is the benefits. In doing so, many often overlook the providers.

It’s that time of year again when millions of Americans across the country will have the opportunity to select or switch their health insurance benefits for the coming year.

Calling all people ages 65 and older: Did you realize the window for Medicare open enrollment is now available?

Negotiating Medicare drug prices is a linchpin of President Joe Biden's ambitious health care agenda.

Democrats are fretting about how they’d divide a shrinking pie amid signs that negotiations over President Joe Biden’s massive domestic policy bill could yield a smaller serving of health care spending.

A House committee has dealt an ominous setback to President Joe Biden’s social and environment package.

The sharp shock of the coronavirus recession pushed Social Security a year closer to insolvency but left Medicare’s exhaustion date unchanged, the government reported Tuesday.

With COVID-19 on the rise again and many nursing home staffers unvaccinated, families still lack easy access to crucial Medicare immunization data that will help them pick the right facility for their loved one.

A government watchdog says that deaths among Medicare patients in nursing homes soared by 32% last year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Affordable Care Act is now secure in the framework of the nation’s health care programs, and Democrats are eager to leap above and beyond.

Democrats are committed to passing legislation this year to curb prescription drug prices.

A new report says the $56,000 Alzheimer’s drug approved this week would raise Medicare premiums broadly.

The Justice Department is announcing criminal charges against more than a dozen people from Florida to California in a series of Medicare scams that exploited coronavirus fears to bill tens of millions of dollars in bogus claims.

Medicare says it will require nursing homes to report COVID-19 vaccination rates for residents and staff.

President Joe Biden’s call for authorizing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices has energized Democrats on a politically popular idea they’ve been pushing for nearly 20 years only to encounter frustration.