Medicare

The Medicare reform bills passed by the House and Senate would make the most sweeping overhaul in Medicare since the program''s inception. In an opinion piece in The New York Times, a political science professor contends that the bills...

Both the House and Senate have approved Medicare bills that call for a prescription drug benefit and a larger role for private health plans in the program. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said, "Tonight, we are one...

Bush administration efforts to increase the role of private health plans in Medicare could drive up Medicare costs, according to new data. More . . .

An attorney with the Center for Medicare Advocacy says that many eligible patients are failing to take advantage of Medicare's all-inclusive hospice benefit for those diagnosed with a terminal illness. The benefit covers a host of services not...

Consumers in eight states are now able to compare'“for the first time--the quality of care provided by home health care agencies in their state. More . . .

April is Cancer Control Month. Cancer screenings can identify pre-cancerous conditions that can be treated and cured before cancer develops. Here's information on which preventive screenings are covered by Medicare. More . . .

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that Medicare beneficiaries will now be able to receive coverage of positron emission tomography (PET) to diagnose thyroid cancer and potential cardiac diseases. At the same time, CMS will...

Medicare HMO premiums are rising while the benefits they offer are eroding, according to a new study. More . . .

The first federal law guaranteeing medical privacy has gone into effect. "This is the biggest thing to hit the health care sector since Medicare," says one doctor. More . . .