medicaid

She Runs the Biggest Federal Agency — and Now May Land the Job

Posted on 04/8/2013 by | Washington Watch | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal Health | PoliticsPresident Obama first nominated Marilyn Tavenner to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) almost 2-1/2 years ago. She’s been running the agency, the federal government’s largest, as acting administrator for more than a year. CMS has a $820 billion budget, oversees health insurance for 100 million Americans and is charged with implementing the health care law. Related: Sequester Fallout: Where Will Medicare Patients Get Chemo? On April 9, the Senate Finance Committee will hold her confirmation hearing. …

Home Health Aides — More Than Just Babysitters

Posted on 04/5/2013 by | Caregiving | Comments

Caregiving | Home & Family | Work | Your LifeThe subject of raising the minimum wage has been a theme in the news for the last several weeks. You might be surprised to learn that many home health aides will see no benefit from any possible bump to the current $7.25 an hour rate — I know I was, when I read an article from CNN Money posted on one of my new favorite blogs, The Voice of Aging Boomers. It turns out that many home health aides are grouped …

Obama Ready to Propose Big Changes in Medicare, Social Security?

Posted on 04/3/2013 by | Washington Watch | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsWhen President Obama’s budget arrives on Capitol Hill on April 10, lawmakers in the opposition party — in keeping with a time-honored Washington custom — are certain to immediately brand it “Dead on Arrival.” This year, however, Obama’s fellow Democrats may not be far behind. Obama is reportedly ready to propose some big changes in Medicare and Social Security — two programs that Democrats have traditionally gone to the mat to protect. As Salon’s Joan Walsh reports: “White House sources …

Why So Many Americans Put Off Medical Care

Posted on 03/28/2013 by | Health | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsHidalgo is a county in southern Texas just across the Rio Grande from Mexico. It’s also home to the highest prevalence of U.S. adults – about 40 percent of the population– delaying necessary medical care because of cost, according to data in the March 28 New England Journal of Medicine. The research letter in the March 28 issue of the journal found this number to vary significantly across the country and to be lower in places with less restrictive eligibility …

The Affordable Care Act Turns Three

Posted on 03/22/2013 by | AARP Blog Author | Comments

Personal Health | PoliticsThe Affordable Care Act is three years old. So what does that mean? What has happened to improve health care over the past few years? Let’s take a quick look: People with Medicare now get a 52.5% discount on brand-name drugs and a 21% discount on generics. People are already seeing a lot of savings. Medicare has a free initial checkup and a free yearly wellness checkup. Medicare also covers preventive care for free. For people with insurance, free preventive …

Senate GOP to Obama: Tone Down the Political Attacks

Posted on 03/15/2013 by | General News | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsBy DAVID ESPO, Special Correspondent, The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Polite yet firm, Senate Republicans told President Barack Obama on Thursday to tone down his political attacks and prod Democratic allies to support controversial changes in Medicare if he wants a compromise reducing deficits and providing stability to federal benefit programs. Participants at a 90-minute closed-door meeting said Obama acknowledged the point without yielding ground — and noted that Republicans criticize him freely. “To quote an old Chicago politician, …

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