Medicare Open Enrollment began on October 15 and runs through December 7. If you are enrolled in a Part D prescription drug plan or a Medicare Advantage plan, your out-pocket-costs and/or in-network...
Diane Archer
Pharma is undermining the discovery of new drugs
Mariana Mazzucato’s op-ed in the Washington Post offers yet another reason why the federal government should be regulating drug prices. Pharma is not investing a meaningful amount of its...
What’s the Medicare premium in 2019?
The 2019 standard monthly Medicare Part B premium, which covers physician services and other medical and outpatient care, will increase from $134.00 to $135.50, up $1.50 a month for people with...
Don’t rely on Medicare Advantage plans to cover care from...
There is not a lot of good information available to help you choose a doctor, whether the doctor is a primary care doctor or a specialist. Yet, particularly when you’re ill or injured, it is...
Commercial health insurance fails to protect people from...
People not yet eligible for Medicare are generally expected to “pick the commercial health insurance that is right for them.” The clear implication is that they could easily pick...
For-profit nursing homes more likely to deny residents hospice...
A new study published in the Journal of American Medical Directors Association finds that for-profit nursing homes are increasingly offering their most vulnerable residents high-cost therapy at the...
Assisted living facilities may evict residents: Protect yourself...
Kaiser Health News reports that assisted living facilities throughout the US are evicting residents they claim they can no longer take care of on 30 days’ notice. In many cases, the assisted...
How to ensure the drugs you take are safe and effective
Drugs recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration–within the last ten years–may turn out not to be safe or effective. How can this be? And, how can you ensure the drugs you take...
Two things to do if you or someone you know needs a wheelchair...
Wheelchairs can cost a crazy amount of money, anywhere from $500 to $6000. Fortunately, Medicare will pay for a manual or motorized wheelchair if you meet the coverage conditions, and a doctor...
Earwax can cause hearing loss, if left untreated
If you have a problem hearing, it may stem from excess earwax. Kaiser Health News reports that earwax can cause hearing loss in older adults, if left untreated. Excess earwax is more common in older...