Today, just as 50 years ago, when President Johnson signed Medicare into law, traditional Medicare is a fee-for-service program that allows older adults and people with disabilities to use almost any...
Diane Archer
Unite with doctors to advocate for lower cancer drug prices
Last week, in an article for Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a group of 118 distinguished doctors united to question the pricing of cancer drugs, which is “unsustainable,” and to call for a new...
If your Medicare drug plan refuses to cover your medications...
Too often, pharmacists are unable to fill prescriptions for people with Medicare because their Part D plan says the drugs are not covered. If you need the medications, you should appeal. The drug...
John Oliver: Tobacco companies suing countries to push smoking
John Oliver explains how tobacco companies are making more money than ever, even though Americans are smoking a lot less. What are the tobacco companies doing? They are promoting smoking in...
Medicare begins rating home health agencies
Much like surgeons, home health agencies are not created equal. To help people better compare Medicare-certified home health agencies, Medicare just launched Home Health Compare. It’s a web...
In its 50th year, Medicare remains vital, a national treasure:...
Thanks in no small part to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the 2015 Medicare Trustees Report delivers good news in the week leading up to Medicare’s 50th birthday. Medicare’s trustees...
Medicare proposes to pay for advance care planning
In a newly released proposed rule, Medicare is proposing to pay for individuals to talk to their doctors and care teams about their health care wishes as part of their advance care planning. Medicare...
45 states receive failing grades on health care price...
At the same time that many people are arguing that people need to take greater responsibility for their health care choices, states are failing to ensure that people can even know the prices of the...
Health insurance premiums rising, but you might be able to...
A recent analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation reveals that premium increases for people in the health insurance exchanges will be modest, so long as they enroll in the lowest or second lowest...
Corporate wellness programs: How well are they working?
You might think that workplace wellness programs would be valuable financially and clinically for workers; after all, it’s a $6 billion a year industry. But, that’s not at all clear...