Medicare

Is Poverty Among Older Americans Undercounted?

Posted on 05/24/2013 by | Washington Watch | Comments

Bulletin Today | Money & Savings | Personal Health | PoliticsPoverty levels are much higher for older Americans when you factor in how much they need to spend on health care, the Census Bureau has found. While 9 percent or so of all Americans 65 and older were below the official poverty threshold in 2011 ($10,788 for an individual), 15 percent were below an alternative threshold that takes into account spending on health care. The alternative measure also takes into account variations in the cost of living, taxes, whether a …

Senate Confirms Former Nurse to Run Medicare

Posted on 05/16/2013 by | General News | Comments

Bulletin Today | Medicare | PoliticsBy Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar of The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A former intensive care nurse with a businesslike approach to a politically divisive public policy area won Senate approval May 15 to run Medicare and other major health insurance programs. By an overwhelming 91-7 vote, the Senate confirmed Marilyn Tavenner to oversee Medicare, Medicaid, children’s health insurance and coverage for the uninsured under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. Together, the programs under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services …

Improving Care, Reducing Costs in Medicare

Posted on 05/16/2013 by | AARP Blog Author | Comments

AARP Research | health care | Medicare | Personal Health | Public Policy InstituteAs a self-proclaimed sci-fi geek, I can’t help but begin this blog with a quote from one of my favorite writers: “The only constant is change, continuing change, inevitable change. That is the dominant factor in society today,” wrote author Isaac Asimov, “No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be.” That was indeed the central message of last week’s AARP Solution Forum …

89 Charged in Medicare Fraud Busts in 8 Cities

Posted on 05/15/2013 by | General News | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal Health | PoliticsBy Kelli Kennedy and Pete Yost, The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 100 people, including 14 doctors and nurses, were charged for their roles in separate Medicare scams that collectively billed the taxpayer-funded program for roughly $223 million in bogus charges in a massive bust spanning eight cities, federal authorities said Tuesday. It was the latest in a string of similar announcements by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Attorney General Eric Holder as federal authorities crack …

Responsible Solutions That Protect and Preserve Medicare

Posted on 05/13/2013 by | AARP Blog Author | Comments

Personal HealthThis is a guest post by Sean Voskuhl – State Director, AARP Oklahoma Growing up in rural Oklahoma, I saw first-hand the importance of Medicare.  Finding accessible and affordable health care was always very difficult.  Many folks had no choice but to purchase a catastrophic/high deductible plan, or they relied on a spouse to get coverage by taking a job in town, or they went without health insurance at all. Simply put, most people gambled and prayed, trying to hold …

4 States That Snubbed Health Law Gaining Jobs From It

Posted on 05/10/2013 by | Health | Comments

Bulletin TodayBy Phil Galewitz, Senior Correspondent, Kaiser Health News Four states that have snubbed the federal health law by defaulting to the federal government to build new online insurance marketplaces and not agreeing to expand Medicaid are getting new jobs at call centers that will help consumers understand their new coverage options this fall. Up to 9,000 jobs are expected to be created at call centers to support the new federally run marketplaces. A Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman said some of them …

« Older Entries