After the public health emergency (PHE) ended, many federal regulations that facilitated access to COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and tests expired. While some policies may still apply, coverage...
Beneficiaries who temporarily lost their Medicare Part D low-income subsidy experienced higher out-of-pocket drug costs and fewer prescription fills, a study published in JAMA Health Forum...
HCSC, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, intends to seal the acquisition of Cigna’s Medicare businesses for $3.3 billion, the payer announced.
The purchase...
A bipartisan group of United States Senators has urged CMS to ensure payment and policy stability in Medicare Advantage as the agency considers program updates for 2025.
The letter to CMS...
Medicare Advantage plan payments will increase by 3.7 percent or $16 billion in 2025, CMS proposed in the Calendar Year (CY) 2025 Advance Notice for the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D...
HHS has issued a request for information (RFI) to help improve data-sharing and transparency in the Medicare Advantage.
Over half of all Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage,...
Black Medicare Advantage beneficiaries and those with lower income or educational attainment were more likely to choose health plans that include supplement benefits, such as dental and vision...
CMS has finalized requirements for payers to streamline the prior authorization process and improve the electronic exchange of health information to help limit patient care disruptions.
The CMS...
States flocked toward ex parte renewals and contact information update waivers to support Medicaid redetermination processes after the coronavirus public health emergency ended, a KFF brief found.
For...
CMS has approved an amendment to New York State’s Medicaid section 1115 waiver that will address health disparities and improve access to primary and behavioral healthcare, Governor Kathy Hochul...
Elevance Health has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), alleging its methodology for determining Medicare Advantage star ratings is unlawful.
The payer and its...
Integrating Medicare and Medicaid coverage for dual eligible beneficiaries was associated with higher use of home- and community-based services (HCBS) but did not reduce hospitalization or improve care...
More than 19 million people have enrolled in Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans for 2024 coverage, HHS announced.
This figure reflects enrollment data as of December 15, 2023, for states...
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is urging states to employ federal strategies to help reduce child disenrollments from Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program...
Four United States Senators have called on CMS to improve data collection and reporting in the Medicare Advantage program to help regulators understand how plan design impacts care quality, cost, and...
If the drug price negotiation program had been in effect in 2021, Part D drug prices would have fallen 63 percent and out-of-pocket spending would have declined 23 percent, research from Mathematica...
The Medicare Care Choices Model (MCCM) improved end-of-life care, increased hospice use, and reduced inpatient admissions for Medicare beneficiaries while simultaneously lowering Medicare spending, a...
The share of primary care visits focused on preventive care nearly doubled between 2001 and 2019, with the steepest growth among Medicare beneficiaries, a Health Affairs study found.
Periodic...
Pharmacy-related quality outcomes were better in states where Medicaid managed care organizations administered health plans’ pharmacy benefits, according to a report from Elevance Health.
The...
Adults with cardiovascular disease are more likely to utilize outpatient cardiovascular services in Medicaid expansion states than in nonexpansion states, a study published in Health Affairs...
