Seniors on Medicare picking their prescription plans for 2009
The 2009 Medicare drug plan enrollment period begins today, and seniors have a lot of information to consider.
Medicare patients will see changes in their drug co-pays
“Millions of older Americans are bracing for big increases in their Medicare drug-plan premiums next year,” reports the Wall Street Journal. “But consumers also need to watch for changes in co-payment costs, which often can represent the biggest out-of-pocket expense for plan beneficiaries.”
Another dismal aspect of the healthcare & economy crisises: More people than ever forced into prescription assistance programs, or not even filling their prescriptions at all
A dose of dismal for Hump Day.
State panel says assisted-living regulations need revisions
At a meeting of the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) yesterday, the panel said that there is still work to be done on differentiating assisted living residences from personal care homes, reports the Associated Press today.
Low-income Medicare recipients will have less prescription plan options next year
Low-income beneficiaries in Medicare’s prescription drug program have fewer plans to choose from next year in almost every state, reports USA Today.
Healthcare policy on the national level
Kaiser Network News has two recent reports on national healthcare legislation that would affect Pennsylvanians: one on state Medicaid funding, and one on healthcare for veterans.
What are some better ways for Medicare to pay doctors?
A recent post on the Wall Street Journal’s Health Blog mulls over an important healthcare debate: How can we improve the system Medicare uses to reimburse doctors?
Allentown’s Sacred Heart Hospital cut staff by 5 percent
Because of millions of dollars of financial loss each of the past 5 years, Sacred Heart Hospital has decided to try to stay open by cutting its operating costs– thereby cutting 5 percent of its staff.
US House report: Drug manufacturers lovin’ Medicare Part D
The Los Angeles Times reports on a US House committee report alleging that U.S. drug manufacturers are reaping a windfall from taxpayers, because Medicare’s privately administered prescription drug benefit program pays more than other government programs for the same medicines.
Experiment will pay doctors to spend more time with patients
Experiments underway by state and federal government agencies, and many insurers around the country, are trying find out if paying doctors more will cut health costs, reports the New York Times.