Medicare nursing home virus site leaves users ‘in the dark’
When the Trump administration required nursing homes to report their COVID-19 cases, it also promised to make the data available to residents, families and the public in a user-friendly way.
View ArticleTrump wants broader role for telehealth services in Medicare
The Trump administration is taking steps to give telehealth a broader role under Medicare, with an executive order that serves as a call for Congress to make doctor visits via personal technology a...
View ArticleTrump nursing home plan limits supply of free COVID-19 tests
The Trump administration's plan to provide every nursing home with a fast COVID-19 testing machine comes with an asterisk: The government won't supply enough test kits to check staff and residents...
View ArticleReport: Nursing home cases up nearly 80% in COVID-19 rebound
COVID-19 cases in U.S. nursing homes jumped nearly 80% earlier this summer, driven by rampant spread across the South and much of the West, according to an industry report released Monday.
View ArticleTrump rule on transgender health blocked at the 11th hour
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration on Monday from enforcing a new regulation that would roll back health care protections for transgender people.
View ArticleFad or future? Telehealth expansion eyed beyond pandemic
Telehealth is a bit of American ingenuity that seems to have paid off in the coronavirus pandemic. Medicare temporarily waived restrictions predating the smartphone era and now there's a push to make...
View ArticleGinsburg’s death exposes fragility of health law protection
With COVID-19 the newest preexisting condition, the Obama-era health law that protects Americans from insurance discrimination is more fragile following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
View Article‘Obamacare’ sign-ups begin as millions more are uninsured
Millions of Americans who have lost health insurance in an economy shaken by the coronavirus can now sign up for taxpayer-subsidized coverage.
View ArticleFeds announce COVID-19 vaccine agreement with drugstores
Federal health officials have reached an agreement with pharmacies across the U.S. to distribute free coronavirus vaccines after they are approved and become available to the public.
View ArticleBiden’s health team offers glimpse of his COVID-19 strategy
President-elect Joe Biden's choices for his health care team point to a stronger federal role in the nation's COVID-19 strategy, restoration of a guiding stress on science and an emphasis on equitable...
View ArticleTrump tries to revive stalled election-eve drug discounts
The Trump administration is trying to revive the president's stalled election-eve plan to send millions of Medicare recipients a $200 prescription discount card.
View ArticleBiden to reopen ‘Obamacare’ markets for COVID-19 relief
Fulfilling a campaign promise, President Joe Biden plans to reopen the HealthCare.gov insurance markets for a special sign-up opportunity geared to people needing coverage in the coronavirus pandemic.
View ArticleBiden administration to provide COVID-19 vaccine to pharmacies
The Biden administration will begin providing COVID-19 vaccines to U.S. pharmacies, part of its plan to ramp up vaccinations as new and potentially more serious virus strains are starting to appear,...
View ArticleDemocrats must find narrow path to curb high medicine prices
President Joe Biden’s call for authorizing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices has energized Democrats on a politically popular idea they've been pushing for nearly 20 years only to...
View ArticleDemocrats see springboard for health care in high court win
With the Affordable Care Act now secure in the framework of the nation's health care programs, Democrats are eager to leap above and beyond.
View ArticleWatchdog: Nursing home deaths up 32% in 2020 amid pandemic
Deaths among Medicare patients in nursing homes soared by 32% last year, with two devastating spikes eight months apart, a government watchdog reported Tuesday in the most comprehensive look yet at the...
View ArticleAs variant rises, vaccine plan targets ‘movable middle’
Thrown off-stride to reach its COVID-19 vaccination goal, the Biden administration is sending A-list officials across the country, devising ads for niche markets and enlisting community organizers to...
View ArticleTrump-era law on surprise medical bills advances under Biden
The Biden administration on Thursday began putting in place consumer protections against "surprise" medical bills enacted in bipartisan legislation signed last year by former President Donald Trump.
View ArticleNursing home overhaul bill would boost staffing, oversight
Responding to the ravages of COVID-19 in nursing homes, senior Democratic senators Tuesday introduced legislation to increase nurse staffing, improve infection control and bolster inspections.
View ArticleUS health agency will prod hospitals to cut carbon emissions
The Biden administration on Monday launched a new health office that will prod hospitals to cut carbon emissions, aiming to provide greener, more environmentally friendly medical care.
View ArticleMedicaid issues – not Medicare’s – get fixes in Biden budget
Medicaid issues are turning up as winners in President Joe Biden’s social agenda framework even as divisions force Democrats to hit pause on far-reaching improvements to Medicare.
View ArticleBiden touts savings on insulin and other drugs for Americans
President Joe Biden pledged Monday that his social agenda legislation would deliver tangible savings on prescription drugs for all Americans. Relief that consumers have clamored for is now in sight, he...
View ArticleMedicare limits coverage of $28,000-a-year Alzheimer’s drug
Medicare said Tuesday it will limit coverage of a $28,000-a-year Alzheimer's drug whose benefits have been widely questioned, a major development in the nation's tug-of-war over the fair value of new...
View ArticlePanel finds U.S. needs new opioid strategy, Cabinet leadership
The U.S. needs a nimble, multipronged strategy and Cabinet-level leadership to counter its festering overdose epidemic, a bipartisan congressional commission advises.
View ArticleMedicare enrollees to get free COVID-19 tests at drugstores
Amid worries that the latest coronavirus variant could spark another rise in cases, Medicare announced Monday that millions of enrollees finally will have access to free over-the-counter COVID-19 tests...
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