Medicare’s Readmission Penalties Hit New High
The federal government’s readmission penalties on hospitals will reach a new high as Medicare withholds more than half a billion dollars in payments over the next year, records released Tuesday show.
Kaiser Health News
Opioid Dependence Leads To ‘Tsunami’ Of Medical Services, Study Finds
In one of the first looks at privately insured patients with opioid problems, researchers paint a grim picture: Medical services for people with opioid dependence diagnoses skyrocketed more than 3,000 percent between 2007 and 2014.
Many Well-Known Hospitals Fail To Score 5 Stars In Medicare’s New Ratings
The federal government released its first overall hospital quality rating on Wednesday, slapping average or below average scores on many of the nation’s best-known hospitals while awarding top scores to dozens of unheralded ones.
Soda Taxes: Gaining Steam Or Getting Steamrolled?
A sip of soda will become more expensive next year in Philadelphia, which recently became the second city in the United States to pass a tax on sugary beverages — after Berkeley voters passed one in 2014.
Democrats Unite, But What Happened To ‘Medicare For All’?
After a raucous debate lasting nearly a year, the Democrats are united on health care. But that unity does not include a call for a single-payer “Medicare for all” health system.
Study: Brand-Name Drugs’ High Copays Soak Medicare Part D Patients
A new study takes a fresh measure of generic drugs’ price advantages, revealing how much more Medicare Part D patients shelled out in copayments for two popular brand-name drugs in 2013.
The result: 10.5 times more.
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End-Of-Life Care Better For Patients With Cancer, Dementia: Study Finds
A new study offers surprising findings about end-of-life care — specifically, physicians tend to be more likely to accommodate the advanced-care wishes of patients with cancer or dementia than renal disease, congestive heart failure, pulmonary disease or frailty.
Doctors Wrestle With Mixed Messages When Deciding Whether To Prescribe Painkillers
Steve Diaz, an emergency medicine doctor at Augusta’s MaineGeneral Health, says he knows what patients want when they come to him in pain. Drugs. And preferably strong ones.
“The only thing they think of is, ‘Do I get a pill?’” he said.
Filling A Prescription? You Might Be Better Off Paying Cash
Some consumers who use health insurance copays to buy prescription drugs are paying far more than they should be and would be better off paying with cash, especially for generics.
As Childhood Diabetes Rates Rise, So Do Costs — And Families Feel The Pinch: Study
Childhood diabetes rates are on the rise, and a report released Monday pointed to the impact that the cost of their care could have on families — even those who have employer-sponsored health insurance.
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