A Brown University School of Public Health study published in Health Affairs finds that Medicare Advantage plan enrollees end up in lower quality nursing homes than people in traditional Medicare...
Diane Archer
Candidates’ position on health care costs could sway 2018...
A candidate’s position on health care costs could sway 2018 voters. A new Kaiser Family Foundation poll shows that voters care most about a candidate’s position on President Donald Trump...
Drug companies can make out like bandits regardless of...
Two recent exposes reveal how easy it is for pharmaceutical companies to raise prices on what should be low-cost drugs and make out like bandits. The reason: Doctors can prescribe virtually all drugs...
Anxiety about health and finances growing
If you’re feeling anxious about your health and finances, you are not alone. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) just released a poll revealing that Americans are especially anxious...
How to maximize Social Security benefits
The Pew Charitable Trust released a report explaining how to maximize Social Security benefits. The report focuses on auto-IRAs, but the strategy applies to retirement savings more generally. If...
Medicare health plan website misleading at best
A large national organization that serves older adults recently issued a report critiquing Medicare’s Plan Finder website, which is designed to help people choose among Medicare health plan...
Medicare encourages doctors to use costliest cancer drugs
The Trump Administration has identified one problem with Medicare payment rates for drugs. StatNews reports that CMS Chief Seema Verma critiqued Medicare regulations that encourage doctors to use the...
How the US should negotiate drug prices
The public overwhelmingly supports federal drug price negotiation. But, how should the US negotiate drug prices and why would it? There is a simple benchmark. If Congress stood up for Americans and...
If we can import food safely, why not medicines?
Have you ever thought about the difference between importing food and importing medicines? They both require oversight to ensure safety. Curiously, the US Food and Drug Administration, FDA, which is...
Tax cuts for drug companies a bust for Americans
A new report by Americans for Tax Fairness, a coalition of 425 national and state organizations representing tens of millions of people, reveals that the Republican tax cuts will increase...