Hospital-owned clinics that are miles away should be reimbursed at the same rates as an independent doctor, but not more, Medicare says. That new rule could save taxpayers $380 million in 2019.
"Medicare for America" would stop short of a full-blown expansion of Medicare. It would include copays from patients and a role for insurers. Could it survive health care's politics?
Unlike many private health plans, Medicare has no cap on out-of-pocket expenses for prescription drugs in Part D. As the cost of specialty drugs rises, some Medicare patients owe thousands of dollars.
A new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that many people struggle to pay for medicines and that a majority of Americans would welcome a range of government interventions to lower prices.
While some officials urge expansion of the Medicare system, several states are mulling a different way to ensure residents have affordable coverage: help them buy into a Medicaid-like plan.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, Rep. John Dingell was instrumental in expanding the Medicaid program, reshaping Medicare and modernizing the Food and Drug Administration. He died Thursday night.
The idea, they say, would be to eliminate the health insurance industry and replace it with government-run health insurance. The industry is already gearing up to oppose any moves in that direction.
Their former homeland was a U.S. testing site for nuclear bombs, but they can't get Medicare or Medicaid in Oklahoma. A resident of Enid, Okla., who was born in the islands is trying to change that.
If the decision of a judge in Texas to invalidate the federal health law holds up, expect broad effects on your health care — from insurance coverage to Medicare payments to pre-existing conditions.
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.
