Help protect Medicare’s future—support our 2025 Annual Benefit on Oct 28!
Mental health care begins with screenings and preventive care. This National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month, we are highlighting the importance of receiving regular mental health screenings and staying alert to changes in your mental health. For Older Adults and People With Disabilities Mental health is a complex issue, and everyone’s experiences […]
From funding cuts to policy reforms, the Republican-passed reconciliation bill (HR 1) directly harms older adults, including by making health care and coverage less available and more expensive. As the fate of expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits remains uncertain, we look to a recent KFF analysis for more […]
Last week, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced that the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2025 will be a 2.8 percent increase. This increase is in line with previous projections for next year and long-term averages for the adjustment. The dollar amount increase to checks will vary depending on […]
Health literacy is the ability of people to understand and use health information and services, and it is the foundation of an effective health care system and a healthy population. When health care is confusing and filled with information barriers, people cannot get the services they need to stay healthy. […]
This week, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said a provision in the reconciliation bill that widens exemptions from Medicare’s drug negotiation program will cost significantly more than previously thought. The price tag is now $8.8 billion, an 80% increase over CBO’s original $4.9 billion estimate. The upward revision was […]
Two important developments reveal continuing issues with provider directories and Medicare Advantage (MA) networks. Some Directory Information Now on Plan Finder Last month, we noted important changes for Medicare Plan Finder (MPF), the online tool that many people use to compare Medicare coverage options. One potentially helpful addition was the […]
Fall is the time when many people choose what health care coverage they will have in the coming year, and Medicare is no exception. From October 15 to December 7, people with Medicare can choose to retain their current coverage or make a switch. Options include switching from Original Medicare […]
Medicare Open Enrollment (also known as the Annual Election Period) begins today! From October 15 to December 7, you can make unrestricted changes to your Medicare coverage options. During this period, you can switch between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, or you can sign up for a new Medicare Advantage […]
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 created a new ability for Medicare to negotiate prices for the most expensive drugs the program covers. The first set of negotiated drug prices will go into effect in 2026 and are estimated to save $1.5 billion in annual out-of-pocket costs for Medicare […]
A recent literature review from a government watchdog shows that physician consolidation is on the rise. The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that patterns like practices being acquired by other entities are increasing, leading to fewer doctors working in independent or private practices. To conduct this analysis, which was […]
