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Teens and Social Media: Advice from Doctor Mom
“Are you totally over Facebook?” A colleague of mine uses that question to get teens to open up about the social media sites they visit. Most of them do use Facebook, but Twitter, Instagram, Kik, and many other sites foreign to parents…
How To Fix Medicare? Ask The Public
Washington is full of ideas to overhaul Medicare. Some would increase the program’s eligibility age, others would charge higher-income beneficiaries more for their coverage. There’s movement to link payment to the quality — rather than the quantity — of care delivered. Marge Ginsburg decided to ask ordinary…
Improving job market complicates push to renew unemployment benefits
Democrats, and even some Republicans, are going to try to extend emergency unemployment benefits during the lame-duck session in November and in the 114th Congress that starts in January. But with long-term unemployment falling rapidly, it may be too late. Congress…
Medicare gives first glimpse of ACO quality performance
The CMS for the first time publicly released individual performance data for Medicare accountable care organizations on 33 measures of healthcare quality. The results for 220 of the participants (PDF) in the Medicare Shared Savings Program reveal how ACOs performed on measures (PDF) of patient experience,…
How to pick the right Medicare drug plan
If you’re about to enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan for the first time – or if you’re thinking about changing plans during Medicare’s open-enrollment period – you’ll be facing a daunting number of options. The Kaiser Family Foundation, a…
ACOs, other delivery reforms shift job roles at hospitals
Phoenix obstetrician Megan Cheney no longer makes hours of telephone calls on Thursday nights to report routine results of laboratory tests to waiting patients. The calls, however, still get made every week. A medical assistant with experience in obstetrics and…
Why Smart People Take Social Security Benefits Early
Most self-described retirement experts will advise you to wait as long as possible before applying for Social Security benefits. But I’m here to tell you why this might be wrong. The argument in favor of waiting goes something like this: By…
Sen. Harkin receives Starkloff Disability Institute Lifetime Achievement Award
ST. LOUIS, Sept. 21 (UPI) — U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, was the guest of honor Saturday night at the Starkloff Disability Institute’s annual party in St. Louis. Harkin was selected to receive the award for his work advocating for people with disabilities…
Medicare Advantage Can Be Complex for Patients and Providers
Medicare is a federally funded entitlement program for health insurance for people who are age 65 and older, and for some who are under 65 and meet certain criteria. Since its implementation in 1966, the number of enrollees in Medicare has…
Big changes needed for Medicare, expert says
Medicare must change, and that will be painful. That was the condensed version of the message from Mark Miller, executive director of Congress’ Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, when he spoke to members of the Nashville Health Care Council on Friday. Medicare is…