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Medicaid expansion may spread to four more GOP-led states
Now that Pennsylvania Republican Gov. Tom Corbett has received CMS approval for his Medicaid expansion plan, Indiana, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming may be next in line among GOP-led states in seeking a federal green light for their conservative-oriented expansion proposals….Read More …
Reform Update: Healthcare spending growth expected to pick up this year to 5.6%
The economy’s lackluster recovery eroded wages and left millions chronically unemployed. It also offered significant relief from the fiscal distress of U.S. health spending. Now, spending fueled by the improving economy and the healthcare reform law’s insurance and Medicaid expansions are likely to turn that around. Health…
Government mistakenly withheld $2.4 million in disability from vets
The federal government accidentally withheld $2.4 million out of September disability compensation checks for 12,000 veterans owed the money for service-related physical or emotional disabilities, according to the Department of Veterans. The VA, which apologized for the mistake Wednesday, says it…
Report: Obamacare, Boomers, Recession Slowing Medicare Costs
The cost of Medicare will grow at a lower rate than initially anticipated – a change government economists attribute to the expansion of insurance coverage through Obamacare, a lower average age of Medicare beneficiaries and economic growth. The estimates come from the Office…
Getting help with your Medicare costs when money is tight
Medicare provides vital health insurance for 50 million seniors and people with disabilities. But even when you have Medicare, health care is not free. People with Medicare pay premiums and have other costs that they pay out of pocket, like…
Narrow network controversy spurs tougher rules for California plans
California health plans would face new requirements designed to ensure they offer adequate provider networks under legislation the state Legislature approved last week. The issue of network adequacy has sparked controversy since the state’s exchange opened last year with many…
College-age adults are 20 percent of all identity theft complaints
Information sharing has become second-nature to many college students who have grown up in an era of social media, smartphones and widely available internet access. Unfortunately, this also makes students more susceptible as a target for scams and fraud. Identity thieves…
USPSTF lung cancer screening recommendations in high-risk Medicare beneficiaries is cost effective
Questions regarding effectiveness, infrastructure and cost effectiveness of low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening of those at high risk for lung cancer have now been answered. Medicare should rapidly provide full national coverage for these exams. An actuarial cost-benefit analysis by Milliman, Inc., published…
Medicare is here to stay
Medicare went into effect 48 years ago on July 1, 1966. Earlier that same year, Medicare workers went door to door trying to get seniors to sign up. Medicare was not the cornerstone then that it is today and people…
How Am I Supposed to Live on Social Security?
Social Security was never intended to be the American worker’s sole retirement plan. Rather, it was designed to keep Americans affected by disability, death of a breadwinner, or old age from starving. Here’s how the father of Social Security, President…