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Medicare
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Study: MA Beneficiaries Have Lower Utilization Than Traditional Medicare
A new study found that MA beneficiaries have more than 50% fewer inpatient stays and 22% fewer emergency department visits than traditional Medicare enrollees.
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MA Beneficiaries With Cancer Spend Less on Healthcare Than Traditional Medicare Beneficiaries
Medicare Advantage beneficiaries with a cancer diagnosis spend $3,996 on out-of-pocket costs and premiums annually, versus $6,091 for traditional Medicare beneficiaries with cancer, a new report found.
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Payer’s Place: Dawn Maroney
Dawn Maroney, President, Markets of Alignment Health and CEO of Alignment Health Plan, to discuss how they are using technology to provide better service and care to consumers.
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HHS Will Likely Face More Lawsuits Against Drug Price Negotiation Now That It Has Named the First 10 Meds Included In the Plan
Novartis became the seventh drugmaker to legally challenge the White House’s Medicare drug pricing negotiation program. The company filed its lawsuit three days after HHS announced the first 10 drugs that were selected for the program — its heart failure medication Entresto was one on the list. HHS can expect to face more lawsuits from the manufacturers of the 10 drugs it named last week, experts have warned.
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HHS Drops First 10 Drugs for Medicare Drug Price Negotiation
HHS released the first 10 drugs selected for the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. These drugs include Eliquis, Jardiance and Xarelto. Under the program, the federal government will be able to negotiate the price for selected drugs for the first time.
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Report: MA Enrollees Use Postacute Services Less Than Traditional Medicare
A new study found that between 16.2% and 17.7% of Medicare Advantage enrollees reported using post-acute care services, compared to 22.4% to 24.1% of traditional Medicare enrollees.
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74% of Medicare Beneficiaries Concerned About Medicare’s Long-term Sustainability
About 20% of Medicare beneficiaries are “very worried” about the long-term sustainability of Medicare, 54% are “somewhat worried” and 25% are “not at all worried,” according to an eHealth survey.
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Survey: Only 44% of MA Beneficiaries Fully Understand Their Plan
Only 44% of Medicare Advantage enrollees said they “fully understand” their plan, while 50% said they “somewhat understand” it and 6% said they don’t understand it, according to a recent survey.
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Health IT, Health Tech, Startups
Suvida Healthcare Taps Elation EHR to Help Power Care for Hispanic Seniors
Suvida Healthcare — a startup providing primary care for Medicare-eligible Hispanic adults — is adopting Elation Health’s primary care-specific technology platform. The platform comprises an EHR, as well as software for patient engagement, telehealth and revenue cycle management. Suvida’s chief medical officer said Elation beat out the competition due to its focus on both primary care and value-based care.
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Report: Black, Latino, Asian Americans Are More Likely To Choose MA Plans Over Traditional
About 27% of Medicare Advantage enrollees are Black, Latino or Asian, versus 17% of traditional Medicare enrollees, according to a report conducted by ATI Advisory and commissioned by the Better Medicare Alliance.
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Applying Remote Patient Monitoring to Surgery Prep and Recovery, Oncology and Women’s Health
Join us to learn about the latest trends in remote monitoring and how to extend its benefits beyond chronic conditions to more patients – all while using fewer staff resources.
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Patients Are More Likely To Get Cancer Screenings Once on Medicare, Report Finds
For breast cancer, 20.5% of patients received a screening in the year prior to being on Medicare, compared to 30.4% in the first year of being on Medicare, according to an Epic Research report. For colorectal cancer, screening rates jumped from 6% in the year before being on Medicare to 11% in the first year of being on Medicare.
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Coalition Applauds Reintroduction of Obesity Treatment Bill, Urges Passage
The Treat and Reduce Obesity Act would expand Medicare coverage for obesity screenings, treatments and therapies like anti-obesity medications. The Health Equity Coalition for Chronic Disease came out in favor of the bill and asked for swift passage.
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Healthcare Spending Burden Is Higher for Medicare Households than Non-Medicare Households
On average, Medicare households spent 15% of their total spending on health-related expenses in 2021, versus 7% for non-Medicare households, according to a new KFF report.
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Fewer Physicians Are Practice Owners Than Ever & Medicare Rates Are to Blame, AMA Says
Over the past decade, a significant percentage of the country’s physicians have shifted from working in private practices (defined as those owned wholly by physicians) to working in bigger, health system-owned practices. The ability to negotiate higher payment rates with insurers when working at a larger practice is a crucial factor causing this trend, according to a new AMA analysis.
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‘This Is Almost Biblical in Its Impact’: Providers Push Back Against CMS’ New Proposed Rules
CMS recently revealed its proposals to raise reimbursement rates for hospital outpatient departments and cut payments for physicians. Next year, the agency is planning to decrease physicians’ pay by 1.25% and increase outpatient payment rates by 2.8%. Provider groups are unhappy with the news — AMA President Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld said the new physician fee schedule will be “almost biblical in its impact.”