In the past couple of months, President Trump has issued four executive orders, which he claims could lead to lower prescription drug costs. The proof is in the pudding, and there is none. Now, after...
Diane Archer
Congress can control hospital rates or allow them to soar
Because most hospitals have monopoly pricing power, private insurers are now paying on average 2.5 times more for hospital care than Medicare. Private health insurers have no way to rein in prices...
Could Walmart be where you go for health care?
Until Congress steps in to regulate our health care system effectively, it appears that corporations are going to take advantage of the great potential revenue in the health care sector, even if they...
Coronavirus: Where to live as you age?
The novel coronavirus has in no small way taken over all of our lives. It is also leading us to reconsider where to live as we age. Judith Graham reports for Kaiser Health News on new thinking among...
Eat more mushrooms!
As scientists look to evidence of what might help treat people with COVID-19 or, at the very least, bolster their immune systems, quacks are proposing all sorts of things we should eat and do to...
Small non-profit helps lower price of some ineffective drugs
Caroline Humer reports for Reuters on the value of the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) in holding drug prices down. ICER is a small not-for-profit research organization that...
Government pays Medicare Advantage plans billions extra for...
The HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released yet another scathing report on Medicare Advantage plans, the private health plans that contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid...
President Trump’s executive order won’t lower drug...
President Trump finally issued his fourth prescription drug executive order, related to pricing drugs at the average of what other wealthy countries pay. Much like his first three executive orders...
Coronavirus: Why are older adults most at risk?
You might be wondering why it is that older adults are most likely to be at risk if they get COVID-19. It’s largely about our immune systems. Veronique Greenwood reports for The New York Times...
The wrong choice of Medicare Advantage plan could kill you
Older adults and people with disabilities have the choice of private health plans that offer Medicare benefits, sometimes called Medicare Advantage plans. Through an analysis of mortality rates at...