MEDICARE

To avoid late enrollment penalties, you may need to sign up for Medicare at age 65 even if you already have workplace coverage.

Two rulings reveal just how hard-conservative the core of the Court is.

The Supreme Court ruled against the Biden administration's rule for OSHA, saying it did not have the power to require vaccination for millions of Americans.

These are the stocks posting the largest moves in midday trading.

Biogen drug, the first in decades approved to treat the disease, has sparked concerns about its high cost and efficacy.

Aduhelm is the first treatment approved in the country to slow cognitive decline in those living with Alzheimer's. Doctors have refused to prescribe it, given the lack of data and evidence behind it.

Medicare says it will limit coverage of a $28,000-a-year Alzheimer’s drug whose benefits have been widely questioned.

A survey shows that most people don't have confidence in their ability to provide for their families and handle life's unexpected financial events.

Free at-home Covid tests will soon be available to most Americans. Wondering where to get them and what kind of tests qualify? Here are the details.

U.S. health secretary Xavier Becerra is ordering Medicare to reassess a big premium increase facing millions of seniors this year.

U.S. health secretary Xavier Becerra on Monday ordered Medicare to reassess a big premium increase facing millions of seniors this year, attributed in large part to a pricey new Alzheimer's drug with questionable benefits. Becerra's directive came days after drugmaker Biogen slashed the price of its $56,000-a-year medication, Aduhelm, to $28,200 a year — a cut of about half. “With the 50% price drop of Aduhelm on Jan. 1, there is a compelling basis ... to reexamine the previous recommendation,” Becerra said in a statement about his directive to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

During the first three months of the year, you can either switch to another Advantage Plan or return to basic Medicare. Here's what to know.

For now, Aduhelm should be given only to beneficiaries who volunteer for a clinical trial.

With annual adjustments pushing some costs higher, experts say it's important to consider how the changes will affect your household spending.

Medicare provisions in the $1.75 trillion legislative package are in jeopardy, given the likelihood that the bill will not pass in its current form.

Here's what you need to know about the government's initiative to make at-home Covid tests available for free.

If you face so-called income-related monthly adjustment amounts and your income has dropped, you can ask the Social Security Administration to reconsider.

America’s complicated health-care system means everything is harder—even rapid testing.

The head of a Senate panel that oversees Medicare says the Biden administration should cut back a hefty premium increase soon to hit millions of enrollees.

The head of a Senate panel that oversees Medicare says the Biden administration should use its legal authority to cut back a hefty premium increase soon hitting millions of enrollees, as a growing number of Democratic lawmakers call for action amid worries over rising inflation. Last month, Medicare announced one of the largest increases ever in its “Part B” monthly premium for outpatient care, nearly $22, from $148.50 currently to $170.10 starting in January. The agency attributed roughly half the hike, about $11 a month, to the need for a contingency fund to cover Aduhelm, a new $56,000 Alzheimer's drug from Biogen whose benefits have been widely questioned. “Rather than assessing the current $21.60 per month ... premium increase in full, I urge you to reduce the amount,” Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., wrote health secretary Xavier Becerra.

About half of the jump in Part B premiums next year is due to the potential cost of covering Aduhelm, a drug targeting Alzheimer's disease. Here's why.

The Majority Forward ad conflates two separate bills anchoring Biden’s agenda: a bipartisan infrastructure law that has passed and a Democratic spending bill that hasn't.

Before you purchase a Medigap policy, you should make sure you understand their limitations and how they are priced.

On Wednesday, Dec. 8, another donut shop opened in Kerrville. Shipley Do-nuts is the fourth donut shop operating in town, with a fifth, Dunkin Donuts, scheduled to open in the

A new $56,000-a-year Alzheimer’s medication that’s leading to one of the biggest increases ever in Medicare premiums is highlighting the limitations of President Joe Biden’s strategy for curbing prescription drug costs.

Congress is considering a new strategy to raise the debt ceiling and prevent a default on U.S. debt without Republican votes.

President Joe Biden is pledging his social agenda legislation will deliver tangible savings on prescription drugs for all Americans.

Eric Zemmour's poll ratings have faded since a splashy entrance into the French presidential campaign

Sen. Bernie Sanders is asking the White House to cut back a big Medicare premium hike set to take effect in weeks and tied to a pricey Alzheimer’s drug whose benefits have been widely questioned.

Sen. Bernie Sanders is asking the White House to cut back a big Medicare premium hike set to take effect in weeks and tied to a pricey Alzheimer's drug whose benefits have been widely questioned. In a letter Friday to President Joe Biden, the Vermont Independent called on the president to act immediately to prevent the portion of an “outrageous increase” in Medicare premiums that's attributable to Aduhelm, a newly approved Alzheimer's medicine from drugmaker Biogen priced at $56,000 a year. If Biden agreed and found a way to do it, a planned January increase of $21.60 a month to Medicare's “Part B” premium for outpatient care would be slashed closer to $10.

There are still a few days left to get enrolled for Medicare, as the annual enrollment period runs through Tuesday, Dec. 7.

A recent Stanford study stated that access to primary care providers is associated with a longer life span for populations.

While beneficiaries aren't required to take action, as their 2021 plan generally would renew for next year, experts say that could be a mistake.

The enhanced child tax credit, paid family leave and subsidized child care would be all help many low- and middle-income families financially.

Have you updated your Medicare coverage?

While the bill is not a done deal, the House passage means provisions to improve Medicare are a step closer to becoming law.

Workers and families with private health insurance would reap savings on prescription drugs from a little-noticed provision in President Joe Biden's social agenda bill.

The House has passed the largest expansion of the social safety net in decades, a $1.75 trillion bill that funds President Joe Biden's top priorities.

A surtax on millionaires is under consideration by Democrats in the U.S. Congress trying to pay for President Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion social spending plan. The add-on could increase the top tax rate on income to as much as 45% for tens of thousands of well-off Americans, up from 37% currently. It’s an alternative to a series of proposals to tax wealth, not just income, including a proposed billionaire tax that was shot down almost as soon as it was raised.

Retirees who are "unretiring" to rejoin the workforce and are on Medicare may have a choice of whether to keep that health-care coverage or drop it.

With Medicare's standard Part B premium jumping to $170.10 next year, monthly surcharges for higher-income beneficiaries will go up, as well.

Shelia Griffith, program manager for the Alzheimer's Association, joined us to discuss the role of exercise and diet in preventing dementia.

Officials say a new Alzheimer's drug is responsible for about half of that.

The standard premium for Part B, which covers outpatient care and durable equipment, will be $170.10 next year, up $21.60 from $148.50 this year.

Medicare’s “Part B” outpatient premium will jump by $21.60 a month in 2022, one of the largest increases ever.

Medicare's “Part B” outpatient premium will jump by $21.60 next year, one of the largest increases ever. Officials said Friday a new Alzheimer's drug is responsible for about half of that. The increase guarantees that health care will gobble up a big chunk of the recently announced Social Security cost-of-living allowance, a boost that had worked out to $92 a month for the average retired worker, intended to help cover rising prices for gas and food that are pinching seniors.

Prescription drug plans are modified every year, meaning your premiums, deductibles and the cost of specific medicines could be changing.

While there is no requirement that veterans using VA health care enroll in Medicare, there are reasons they should explore the benefits of doing so.

Time is ticking because the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) for 2022 ends on Dec. 7, 2021.

Medicare enrollees who take expensive medicines could save thousands of dollars a year under the Democrats’ sweeping social agenda bill, but those dividends won’t come overnight.

If your income is lower than what the Social Security Administration thinks it is, you can appeal the monthly charges.

The $1.2 trillion infrastructure package and nearly $2 trillion "Build Back Better" plan are widely expected to lift growth and jobs in the coming years. Inflation could increase next year, but many costs would go down for lower-income households.

While adding hearing services to Medicare would plug one coverage hole, there are others that enrollees should prepare themselves for.

Medicare enrollment and benefits are an important topic, especially since the annual enrollment period for Medicare started in October.

The pharmaceutical industry has employed three lobbyists for every member of Congress this year.

Liberals frame the deal as a precedent that will allow Medicare to curb drug prices more substantially in coming years.

The Medicare-related provisions are part of Democrats' legislative plan to strengthen the social safety net.

Democrats say they have sealed a deal to lower pharmaceutical drug costs for most older Americans as part of President Joe Biden’s sweeping $1.75 trillion domestic proposal.

House Democrats have added paid family and medical leave, immigration law changes and a state-and-local tax break to their $1.75 trillion social services and environmental bill.

House Democrats added a new paid family leave program, immigrant work permits and a state-and-local tax break to President Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion social services and environmental bill Wednesday, reviving key priorities in the rush to finish up and start voting after dismal overnight election results. The House Rules Committee convened late Wednesday afternoon to consider the updated text of the now-sprawling 2,135-page package — a crucial step ahead of initial House votes that are possible as soon as Thursday. The flurry of last-minute additions — on top of a plan to include lower Medicare prescription drug prices — comes as Democrats are desperate to deliver on Biden's signature domestic proposals after grim election results for the party in Virginia, a warning that their grip on power could be in peril in next year's midterms.

The agreement overcomes a key sticking point in ongoing negotiations over the president's domestic policy agenda.

Have questions about the Medicare annual enrollment period?

Two congressional aides say Democrats have made significant progress on adding compromise provisions curbing prescription drug prices to their massive social and environment package.

A surtax on millionaires is under consideration by Democrats in the U.S. Congress trying to pay for President Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion social spending plan. The add-on could increase the top tax rate on income to as much as 45% for tens of thousands of well-off Americans, up from 37% currently. It’s an alternative to a series of proposals to tax wealth, not just income, including a proposed billionaire tax that was shot down almost as soon as it was raised.

Without dental insurance, William Stork has put off getting his rotten tooth pulled; Medicare doesn't cover the $1,000 procedure. Dentists can't agree whether all seniors should get that benefit.

Medicaid issues are turning up as winners in President Joe Biden’s social budget framework even as divisions force Democrats to hit pause on far-reaching improvements to Medicare.

Biden plans to expand Medicare – the federal health insurance program for the elderly – to cover hearing benefits.

Proposals to include dental, vision and hearing coverage in Medicare, as well as expand Medicaid, may be cut as Democrats try to make a deal on budget bill.

Considering getting braces this fall for the kids or even for yourself?

Health provisions remain a sticking point in spending package amid efforts to reduce price tag, rally factions.

Now is the time for Medicare beneficiaries to make changes to Medicare coverage, as one’s health status, budget and plans can change each year.

Do you have questions about the Medicare annual enrollment period?

Negotiating Medicare drug prices is a linchpin of President Joe Biden's ambitious health care agenda.

With Medicare enrollment right around the corner, it’s important to be prepared during this next phase of life and to help guide your loved ones during the process.

About 40% of Texas nursing home workers are unvaccinated and could face dismissal or quit their jobs under a federal vaccination requirement for the industry.

Democrats are fretting about how they’d divide a shrinking pie amid signs that negotiations over President Joe Biden’s massive domestic policy bill could yield a smaller serving of health care spending.

A House committee has dealt an ominous if tentative blow to President Joe Biden’s social and environment package.

The sharp shock of the coronavirus recession pushed Social Security a year closer to insolvency but left Medicare’s exhaustion date unchanged, the government reported Tuesday.

With COVID-19 on the rise again and many nursing home staffers unvaccinated, families still lack easy access to crucial Medicare immunization data that will help them pick the right facility for their loved one.

A physician’s assistant in San Antonio has pleaded guilty to Medicaid and Medicare fraud and could face up to 20 years in prison.

A government watchdog says that deaths among Medicare patients in nursing homes soared by 32% last year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Affordable Care Act is now secure in the framework of the nation’s health care programs, and Democrats are eager to leap above and beyond.

Democrats are committed to passing legislation this year to curb prescription drug prices.

A new report says the $56,000 Alzheimer’s drug approved this week would raise Medicare premiums broadly.

The Justice Department is announcing criminal charges against more than a dozen people from Florida to California in a series of Medicare scams that exploited coronavirus fears to bill tens of millions of dollars in bogus claims.

Medicare says it will require nursing homes to report COVID-19 vaccination rates for residents and staff.

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 encounter frustration.

The agency oversees government health insurance programs covering more than 1 out of 3 Americans and is a linchpin of the health care system. CMS also plays a central role in the nation’s $4 trillion health care economy, setting Medicare payment rates for hospitals, doctors, labs and other service providers. The agency also sets standards that govern how health care providers operate. “She is well-respected and liked by the department veterans who have worked with her in the past.”Years ago, Brooks-LaSure worked with Biden's nominee to run HHS, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. AdUnder Biden, Brooks-LaSure will be expected to grow Obamacare enrollment by promoting HealthCare.gov and trying to persuade holdout states to adopt Medicaid expansion.

The Trump regulation would tie what Medicare pays for certain drugs administered in a doctor's office to the lowest price paid among a group of economically advanced countries. Some opponents have likened the Trump policy to a form of socialist price controls. Trump came into office accusing drug companies of “getting away with murder” and promising to slash costs for American patients. Even if the Trump rule is ultimately blocked, the idea of using international prices to lower costs for Americans is very much alive. It's at the heart of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's legislation to empower Medicare to negotiate drug prices.

FILE - In this Oct. 10, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump speaks from the Blue Room Balcony of the White House to a crowd of supporters in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)WASHINGTON – 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. White House spokesman Judd Deere confirmed the administration is continuing to move forward. “It’s simply good policy, and demonstrates President Trump is continuing to deliver on his promises to our nation’s seniors to lower drug prices." Pallone dismissed the latest White House push.

Dr. Rowland Reyna, founder and CEO of HealthTexas, and Glenda Pope, local sales director for United Healthcare, explain what is included in the Dual Complete plan. 1) Who qualifies for the Dual Complete plan? “People who have Medicare and find that money is tight (or are on Medicaid) may qualify for a UnitedHealthcare Dual Complete plan, a type of dual special needs Medicare Advantage health plan, which allows you to get better benefits,” Pope said. A UnitedHealthcare Dual Complete plan can help people by coordinating their care. 3) Are Dual Complete plans available in our area?

The Trump administration disputes that and says its rule could potentially result in 30% savings for patients. It also would allow private insurance plans for workers and their families get Medicare's lower prices. Trump has taken other action to lower prescription drug costs by opening a legal path for importing medicines from abroad. Also, Medicare drug plans that cap insulin costs at $35 a month are available during open enrollment, currently underway. The Food and Drug Administration has put a priority on approving generics, which cost less.

And just like the Trump administration, Biden is expected to aggressively wield the rule-making powers of the executive branch to address health insurance coverage and prescription drug costs. With COVID-19 surging across the country, Biden's top health care priority is whipping the federal government’s response into shape. “We’re going to work quickly with the Congress to dramatically ramp up health care protections, get Americans universal coverage, lower health care costs, as soon as humanly possible,” the president-elect said earlier this week. A factor that may work in Biden's favor is that many Republicans want to change the subject on health care. Coronavirus relief legislation could provide an early vehicle for some broader health care changes.

There are only a few weeks left for the Medicare annual enrollment period -- the time when millions of Americans will make important decisions about their health care coverage for 2021. Whether you’re enrolling in Medicare or looking to change your coverage, now is the time to do it. Dr. Rowland Reyna, founder and CEO of HealthTexas, and Glenda Pope, local sales director for United Healthcare, explain why it’s important to review your Medicare plans for 2021. “You will still have coverage, but it’s very important to make a decision right now, because things change,” Pope explained. “Your plan could change and your health conditions can change -- even your finances can change.

The Medicare annual enrollment period has just begun, and those who are turning 65 can explore their Medicare Advantage benefits. As Medicare terminology can be difficult to understand, the Gonzaba Medical Group is available to help answer any questions seniors may have. The deadline to make a change to your Medicare plan is Dec. 7. For those who may be looking for personalized, coordinated care, Gonzaba Medical Group has been serving the San Antonio community with premier senior care for 60 years. The medical group offers grocery giveaways for seniors, Zumba classes, free technology training, coordinated care, in-house specialty care and in-house imaging services.

The annual enrollment period for Medicare coverage for 2021 ends Dec. 7If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241.

The regulations from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, will also increase what Medicare pays hospitals for COVID-19 treatments. Under Wednesday's announcement:— Seniors with traditional Medicare will pay nothing for COVID-19 vaccines, and any copays and deductibles are waived. — The government will pay private Medicare Advantage plans to administer the vaccine to seniors. — Workplace and individual health insurance plans will cover the COVID-19 vaccine as a preventive service, with no cost sharing. — State Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance plans will have to provide vaccines for free for the duration of the coronavirus public health emergency.

WASHINGTON – Medicare will cover the yet-to-be approved coronavirus vaccine free for older people under a policy change expected to be announced shortly, a senior Trump administration official said Tuesday. It's questionable under normal circumstances if Medicare can pay for a drug that receives emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, as expected for the eventual coronavirus vaccine. A White House-backed initiative called “Operation Warp Speed” is pushing to have a vaccine ready for distribution in the coming months. States have already begun submitting their plans for vaccine distribution to the federal government. Initially, it's expected vaccines will go to people in high-risk groups such as medical personnel, frontline workers and nursing home residents and staff.

Dr. Victor Soria with WellMed answered some commonly asked questions regarding the Annual Enrollment Period for Medicare. An alarming percentage of Americans are delaying or putting off routine screenings like a mammogram for fear of getting COVID-19. What can Medicare patients do during AEP? Switch from original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan, switch Medicare Advantage plans, dis-enroll from a Medicare Advantage plan and return to original Medicare, enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan, switch Medicare prescription drug plans or dis-enroll from a Medicare prescription drug plan. How do they communicate and coordinate care with their patient’s other care teams, such as specialists and hospitalists?

Dr. Rowland Reyna, founder and CEO of HealthTexas explains why it’s important to review your Medicare plans for 2021. Make sure your medications are covered in the Medicare plan. Confirm your preferred doctors and hospitals are available through the Medicare plan you’re considering. What advantages does a Medicare Advantage Plan have over traditional Medicare? A Medicare Advantage Plan covers all health and prescription coverage needs and includes added-value services such as dental, vision and hearing.