Insurance

Physicians' groups said in a letter they fear seniors will lose or forget to bring the new Medicare cards to appointments, and there is no backup plan for doctors to gain access to the new identification number.

Few people have adequate savings for long-term care, and most assume they will care for relatives and rely on family for their own care. A survey from the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found support for family leave policies across members of both parties.

The proposed cuts would come just as CMS is gearing up to launch the Diabetes Prevention Program in Medicare starting in January 2018. Diabetes accounts for $1 of every $3 spent in Medicare, and CMS has been looking for ways to slow the number of beneficiaries who develop the disease.

The notion of letting Medicare negotiate drug prices has been around for years, but has recently gained new traction under President Donald Trump. Panelists at the ISPOR 22nd Annual International Meeting, held May 20-24 in Boston, Massachusetts, discussed the complexities of allowing Medicare to negotiate prices and whether or not it would produce meaningful savings.

The former House healthcare expert said that changes are sure to come to the AHCA when the Senate takes up the bill, especially in the Medicaid provisions.

This week, the top managed care stories included the White House budget director hinting at mandatory drug rebates in Medicare; a global cyberattack locked physicians out of patient records; and the National Diabetes Prevention Program released promising data from the first 4 years.

Following a whistleblower’s assertion that UnitedHealth Group was inflating Medicare diagnoses in order to get more money from the Medicare program, the US Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit alleging the company knowingly inflated risk adjustment payments by making beneficiaries seem sicker than they were.