ABC News reports that only one in three older adults have received a Covid 19 booster shot. Not surprisingly, three times more older adults are being hospitalized for Covid 19 than younger adults...
Diane Archer
Medicare Advantage plans fail to release data required for...
A recent MedPac presentation details several glaring issues with Medicare Advantage, of which both Congress and all Medicare Advantage enrollees should take careful note. MedPac cannot assess quality...
When will Congress address surprise ambulance bills?
Surprise medical bills are all too common, leaving millions of Americans with health care costs they did not expect to pay. A couple of years ago, Congress passed legislation to end surprise medical...
Government proposes to improve prior authorization process
Since their inception, Medicare Advantage (MA) plans have been allowed to develop their own proprietary rules as to when patients need prior authorization–permission from their health...
Ultraprocessed foods are likely bad for your brain
It’s hard to avoid eating ultraprocessed foods. They can be very delicious. Who can resist a candy bar, french fries, ice cream, or doughnuts? But, Sandy LaMotte reports for CNN on the latest...
Five Medicare issues for Congress in 2023
The new year is less than a month away and with it will come a Republican-led House of Representatives and a divided Congress. People hoping for improvements to Medicare should not be holding their...
People with disabilities face undue delays getting Social...
Lisa Rein reports for the Washington Post on the inability of Social Security offices to meet the needs of people who are applying for disability benefits. In some states, the backlog is staggering...
Corporate health plans for people with Medicare can be a...
In an opinion piece for the Washington Post, Helaine Olen lays out the disadvantages of Medicare Advantage plans, corporate health plans offering benefits to people with Medicare. Olen warns that...
Assisted living facilities should do more for residents
Assisted living facilities should address people’s medical and mental health needs. Older and frailer people are now living in these facilities. Judith Graham writes for Kaiser Health News on a...
Profiteers turn hospice into a $22 billion industry
Ava Kofman writes for the New Yorker on the profiteers who have turned hospice care into a $22 billion dollar a year industry. Rather than being about dying with dignity, hospice is too often all...