Medicare Health Center
News and Features Related to Medicare
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Med Students Put Unprofessional Info Online
Sept. 22, 2009 -- It is not uncommon for medical students to post unprofessional and even illegal information on social networking sites like Facebook and media-sharing sites like YouTube, a survey of medical schools shows. In an anonymous poll of student affairs administrators from schools across t
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Debate Grows as Health Bills Get Closer
June 11, 2009 -- The debate over health reform is heating up in Washington, with lawmakers, interest groups, political parties, and the president all weighing in on how to cut costs and spread insurance to all Americans. Congressional committees are expected to unveil final versions of their health
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New Rating System for Nursing Homes
Dec. 18, 2008 -- Federal officials unveiled a five-star rating system that for the first time ranks the quality of the nation's 15,800 nursing homes that participate in Medicare or Medicaid. A nursing home reform group praised the move, calling it a step in the right direction for helping consumers
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Candidates' Health Plans: Healthy Impact?
Oct. 2, 2008 -- Twice as many uninsured people in the U.S. will have health insurance in 10 years under Sen. Barack Obama's health care plan than under Sen. John McCain's plan, according to a report by the health care research group The Commonwealth Fund. The report released today highlights what th
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Medicare Warns of Part D Changes
Sept. 25, 2008 - Medicare officials on Thursday urged beneficiaries to scrutinize their prescription drug coverage, warning that coverage in the plans may change significantly in 2009. Kerry Weems, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), said seniors and disabled beneficiar
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Medicare Outpatient Premiums Stay Flat
Sept. 19, 2008 -- Medicare beneficiaries' out-of-pocket costs for doctor visits and other outpatient services won't rise next year, only the sixth time in the history of the program they've remained stable, government officials said Friday. Premiums and deductibles for hospital stays will go up, off
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45.7 Million in U.S. Lack Health Insurance
Aug. 26, 2008 -- For the first time in years, fewer Americans lack health insurance. The U.S. Census Bureau today announced that 45.7 million of us had no health insurance in 2007. That's 1.3 million fewer uninsured Americans than in 2006. And while it's not good news that 8.1 million U.S. children
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Study: Medicare Web Site Hard to Use
Aug. 19, 2008 -- Medicare's web site isn't easy for many computer-savvy adults to use, a new study shows. The study is summed up in a brief letter published in tomorrow's edition of The Journal of the American Medical Association. The bottom line: Most of the study's participants had trouble using M
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FDA to Get Access to Medicare Part D Data
May 22, 2008 -- The FDA will soon start monitoring massive amounts of Medicare’s medical records in an effort to more closely monitor drug safety under new rules set by the Bush administration, federal officials said Thursday. The new rules will give FDA researchers access to data from Medicare’s Pa
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Need a Good Hospital? Gov’t Can Help
May 21, 2008 -- Newspapers across the country are carrying ads today promoting a government-run web site comparing the quality of U.S. hospitals. The ads, which cost taxpayers $1.9 million, are meant to steer readers toward the "Hospital Compare" site run by the Department of Health and Human Servic
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Having no insurance can be a disaster when serious illness strikes. But there may be a way to get needed medicine for free.
