Medicare's incentive program to discourage nursing homes from discharging patients too quickly will also give bonuses to facilities that have fewer rehospitalizations.
Shereese Hickson's doctor wanted her to try a drug called Ocrevus for her multiple sclerosis. Trained as a medical billing coder, Hickson was shocked by the six-figure bill and the share she owed.
To help seniors stay healthy and independent, some Medicare plans will soon cover things like home-delivered meals or rides to the doctor, but finding plans that include the coverage is not easy.
Democrats are hammering Republicans over their efforts to eliminate insurance protections for pre-existing conditions. Republicans are telling seniors their Medicare coverage may be in danger.
President Trump packed a lot of disinformation into his op-ed column for USA Today attacking a Democratic health care proposal. Here are five points to know.
A former health insurance executive has made it her mission to bring down high health care costs. She's demanding a better deal for employers — and the workers whose care they pay for.
Many hospitals that serve a large share of low-income patients will benefit from Medicare's less punishing approach to penalties for patient readmissions.
Medicare limits payments for minimally invasive replacement of aortic valves to hospitals with large numbers of heart procedures. But smaller facilities are crying foul.
The federal government will overhaul accountable care organizations, an Obama-era innovation. The change could lead to a dramatic decrease in hospitals and doctors participating in the program.
Federal law keeps insurers from using genetic test results when pricing and issuing health insurance. But the tests might keep you from being able to get life insurance or a long-term-care policy.
Medicare pays more than $16 billion a year for hospice services. But a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services says hospice patients don't always get the care they're promised.
The Trump administration says its plan to overhaul the way Medicare pays doctors will save physicians time and paperwork. But critics worry the changes will hurt patients' care and doctors' income.
A severe allergic reaction sent a patient at night to an ER, which now wants to charge more than for a daytime visit. Billing specialists say the patient might have grounds for an appeal.
Up to 16 million people in the U.S. have undiagnosed or uncorrected vision errors that could be helped by glasses, contact lenses or surgery. But many health plans don't include routine vision care.
NPR correspondent Alison Kodjak's mom was admitted to the hospital for four nights after a fall. Because the hospital said she was an outpatient, Medicare wouldn't pay for her rehabilitative care.
An agency that advises Congress recommends a 30 percent reduction in some federal reimbursements to free-standing ERs that are within 6 miles of a hospital.
The measure would allow Medicare to reimburse audiologists for a range of services, including helping patients learn how to use and adjust their hearing aids for different social situations correctly.
Ausberto Maldonado picked corn and asparagus for years on the U.S. mainland before retiring in Puerto Rico. He has diabetes, and as the island's safety net wears thin, he's struggling to survive.
Last month's congressional budget deal included some benefits for Medicare recipients that may reduce their drug expenses and increase the coverage for certain therapies.
The tax reform law passed in December did repeal the Affordable Care Act's penalties for not having comprehensive health insurance. But the penalties are still in effect until 2019.
The Trump administration rolled out a list of actions in its budget proposal to attack drug prices, but most of the measures dance around the edges of the problem.
While the federal health law made insurers cover the full cost of screening colonoscopies, consumers with a history of polyps who need more frequent tests may have to pick up some costs.
Home health firms sometimes turn away Medicare beneficiaries who have chronic health problems by incorrectly claiming Medicare won't pay for their services, say advocates for patients.
Seven states saw a third or more of their hospitals punished under the federal health law's campaign against hospital-acquired conditions. Critics accuse some unscathed hospitals of gaming the system.
