A review of 90 government audits reveals that health insurers that issue Medicare Advantage plans have repeatedly tried to sidestep regulations requiring them to document medical conditions the government paid them to treat. Read more»

Nearly 6 million Americans have taken Paxlovid - which helped prevent many people infected with COVID-19 from being hospitalized or dying - courtesy of the federal government, but the government plans to stop footing the bill within months, and millions may have to pay the full price. Read more»

Earlier this year, top leadership at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began the task of reforming the agency, but the current workplace structure could be a major barrier as the agency has embraced a workplace program that allows most of its scientists to stay remote. Read more»

Assisted living communities too often fail to meet the needs of older adults and should focus more on residents’ medical and mental health concerns - changes inspired by the altered profile of the population that assisted living now serves. Read more»

Newly released federal audits reveal widespread overcharges and other errors in payments to Medicare Advantage health plans for seniors, with some plans overbilling the government more than $1,000 per patient a year on average. Read more»

As Americans are overwhelmed with medical bills, patient financing is now a multibillion-dollar business, with private equity and big banks lined up to cash in when patients and their families can’t pay for care. Read more»

Though Congress approved a cap on what seniors will pay for insulin as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, along with free vaccines and other improvements, the change came too late to add to the Medicare plan finder, the online tool that helps beneficiaries find the best bargain. Read more»

Private equity is rapidly moving to reshape health care in America - coming off a banner year in 2021 when the deep-pocketed firms plowed $206 billion into more than 1,400 acquisitions - and evidence is mounting that the practice has led to higher prices and diminished quality of care. Read more»

Millions of Americans can shop for Affordable Care Act-compliant health insurance plans - but experts caution that misleading marketing can direct consumers into buying health plans that exclude protections for preexisting conditions and leave patients vulnerable to large medical bills. Read more»

Open enrollment for people who buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces begins Nov. 1, and even though much of the coverage stays the same from year to year, there are a few upcoming changes that consumers should note. Read more»

As of Monday, consumers are able to buy hearing aids - intended for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss - directly off store shelves and at dramatically lower prices as a 2017 federal law finally takes effect. Read more»

A partir del lunes, los consumidores pueden comprar audífonos, destinados a adultos con pérdida auditiva de leve a moderada, directamente en los estantes de las tiendas y a precios mucho más bajos, ya que finalmente entra en vigencia una ley federal de 2017. Read more»

Traditionally, teen motherhood is viewed as a symptom of poverty, invoking puzzled head-shaking by wizened adults and calls from many conservative lawmakers for young, unmarried people to stop having sex - but it is also a dangerous undertaking for a teen mother and baby. Read more»

Health care providers, nursing home representatives, and advocates for residents say Medicare Advantage plans are increasingly ending members’ coverage for nursing home and rehabilitation services before patients are healthy enough to go home. Read more»

The FDA’s accelerated approval - which allows pharmaceutical companies to license promising treatments without proving they are effective - is usually based on a “surrogate marker” of effectiveness, but debate rages over the validity of some of these stand-ins, and some of the drugs. Read more»