Health Insurance and Medicare News & Features

The Justice Department's decision was announced Thursday in a filing in federal court in Texas. Typically, the department defends federal laws in court.

The Medicare board of trustees said the program's hospital insurance trust fund could run out of money by 2026, three years earlier than previously forecast.

A University of Michigan poll found only about half of patients 50 to 80 years old have set up an online account with their health care provider.

Currently, hospitals must make their prices public, but the new rule requires the information to be posted online in a format that can be easily processed by computers, the Associated Press reported.

The former first lady’s announcement “not to seek additional medical treatment” and to focus on “comfort care” is shining a light on end-of-life choices.

More respondents (40 percent) feared the cost of treating a serious illness than feared becoming ill (33 percent).

A survey of 1,000 practicing physicians by the American Medical Association (AMA) found that doctors believe these prior authorizations affect clinical outcomes for 9 of 10 patients.

The finding comes from a study of 11,000 people treated for heart attack at 300 U.S. hospitals. All of the patients had health insurance: 64 percent had private insurance, 42 percent were covered by Medicare and 9 percent had Medicaid.

Dr. Charles Emerick and his wife, Francie, died together last spring after both being diagnosed with terminal illnesses. First, they let their daughter turn on the camera.

More than eight of 10 surveyed do not believe doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care providers should be allowed to use their conscience or beliefs to refuse care.

The study also found that the number of emergency room visits rose only slightly, but the average price for an ER visit increased 31.5 percent during the study period.

Drugs that treat rheumatoid arthritis started out costing about $10,000 a year. Ten years later, they list for more than $40,000.

In a short-term spending bill, Congress extends money to the Children’s Health Insurance Program through March.

Dec. 15 is the last enrollment day for people living in 39 states served by the HealthCare.gov website.

Dec. 15 is the last enrollment day for people living in 39 states served by the HealthCare.gov website.

As U.S. House and Senate leaders huddle to reconcile differences between their respective tax reform bills, the fate of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate remains uncertain.

Congress let funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program expire in September, and despite bipartisan support for the program, states are facing the specter of having to prepare to wind down their programs.

Merging CVS, which has 10,000 retail clinics and pharmacies, with Aetna means more health services will likely move out of doctors' offices to store-based providers across the nation.

More than 600,000 Americans signed up for insurance under the Affordable Care Act in the first week of open enrollment season.

Vote is considered a rebuke to state's governor and President Donald Trump.

The Trump administration's repeated efforts to topple Obamacare have not thwarted the program's annual enrollment for health insurance.

Would cover cost of subsidies to insurers for 2 years, but passage in Congress uncertain

Move could cripple the program, follows a similar executive order signed Thursday

Move allows younger, healthier workers to find cheaper-but-skimpier plans elsewhere, experts say

Prior authorization and quantity limits might help curb painkiller abuse, researchers say