Tag: Medicare

Years before he came to the Senate, Raphael Warnock spent time bedside with Georgia residents suffering from the long-term effects of diabetes, a condition made worse by limited access to life-saving drugs like insulin.

Millions of Americans in traditional Medicare are unaware of the changes coming to their health care arrangements, and one big reason for that is the lack of coverage from the media.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled several updates to the Medicare.gov website that make it easier, for millions of people who use it, to navigate and access information to compare and select health and drug coverage and find providers.

Medicare has a new initiative that will cover up to eight over-the-counter COVID-19 tests each calendar month, at no cost to you. 

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on February 24th, the arrests of 14 individuals who were charged in San Bernardino County Superior Court in connection with two hospice companies accused of stealing more than $4.2 million from the federal Medicare and state Medi-Cal programs. Based in San Bernardino County, New Hope Hospice, Inc. and Sterling Hospice Care, Inc. enrolled patients who were not terminally ill into hospice care, many of whom told investigators that they were enrolled without their knowledge or understanding of what hospice was. All of the arrested defendants face multiple felony counts including conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, insurance fraud, grand theft, and fraudulent insurance claims, with some defendants also facing charges related to identity theft, money laundering, and tax evasion. Two defendants remain at large.

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to expand Americans’ access to free testing, people in either Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage will be able to get over-the-counter COVID-19 tests at no cost starting in early spring. Under the new initiative, Medicare beneficiaries will be able to access up to eight over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per month for free. Tests will be available through eligible pharmacies and other participating entities. This policy will apply to COVID-19 over-the-counter tests approved or authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to expand Americans’ access to free testing, people in either Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage will be able to get over-the-counter COVID-19 tests at no cost starting in early spring. Under the new initiative, Medicare beneficiaries will be able to access up to eight over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per month for free.

This week, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) called on the Department of Health and Human Services to guarantee at-home COVID-19 test kits to Medicare beneficiaries at no cost.

The No Surprises Act protects people covered under group and individual health plans from receiving surprise medical bills when they receive most emergency services, non-emergency services from out-of-network providers at in-network facilities, and services from out-of-network air ambulance service providers. It also establishes an independent dispute resolution process for payment disputes between plans and providers, and provides new dispute resolution opportunities for uninsured and self-pay individuals when they receive a medical bill that is substantially greater than the good faith estimate they get from the provider.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the latest enrollment figures for Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)—all key connectors to care for more than 135 million Americans.[1]