Biden sees $35 price cap for insulin as pivotal campaign issue
Rarely a day goes without President Joe Biden mentioning insulin prices and promoting a $35 price cap for the medication for Americans on Medicare. The reality is more complicated.
Medicare
Legislative push brewing to make new weight loss drugs more accessible
Obesity drugs like Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound are showing promising results in helping people shed pounds. But a law bans Medicare from paying for weight loss drugs. Now, drugmakers and a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers are gearing up to push for that to change next year.
Get ready for the annual blitz of Medicare Advantage ads
If history is any guide, there will be plenty of high-budget television ads from national and local insurance plans looking to boost their rolls. But the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is cracking down on misleading pitches.
Eli Lilly’s Jardiance among 10 prescription drugs chosen for price negotiations
The Biden administration is targeting diabetes treatment Jardiance and nine other medications for Medicare’s first-ever drug price negotiations as it seeks to lower medical costs for Americans.
Drugmakers warn new law will deter discoveries
David Ricks, CEO of Indianapolis-based drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co., is turning up the volume on his concerns over a new law that would allow Medicare, for the first time, to negotiate drug prices.
Biden proposes new taxes on rich to help fund Medicare
The proposed hike would likely increase tax revenues by more than $117 billion over 10 years, according to estimates by the Tax Policy Center.
Health care bills aim to reform insurance, Medicaid reimbursement rates
A slew of health care bills moving through the legislature target high prices for Hoosiers by encouraging competition and restructuring how the state pays for services under Medicaid.
Feds expect to collect $4.7B in insurance fraud penalties
Federal watchdogs have been sounding the alarm for years about questionable charges on the private version of the Medicare program, with investigators raising the possibility that insurance companies may be bilking taxpayers of billions of dollars every year.
Unorthodox primary care provider ChenMed entering Indy market
The fast-growing, family-owned operation, based in Miami, has filed plans with the state to renovate three buildings and open them as primary care medical clinics.
55 Indiana hospitals facing fines for excessive readmissions
The number is down from 62 hospitals last year and 66 the before, but will still cost many hospitals money while they are still dealing with the strain of the pandemic that has overwhelmed resources and reduced their revenue and profits.
Kathie Mancini: Eligible for Medicare? Here’s what to consider when choosing a plan
Health care can be expensive, so picking the right insurance plan that meets your individual or family needs can be critical to maintaining a balanced budget.
American Senior Communities agrees to pay $5.6M to settle false claims allegations
American Senior Communities, the largest nursing home company in Indiana, has agreed to the settlement to resolve allegations that it violated federal laws by submitting false claims to the Medicare program.
Dems seek more taxes from higher earners to protect Medicare solvency
Under the latest proposal, people earning more than $400,000 a year and couples making more than $500,000 would have to pay a 3.8% tax on their earnings from tax-advantaged businesses called pass throughs.
Indiana ranked seventh in nation for hospital charge disparities
A new study released Thursday by the Rand Corp. showed that Hoosiers covered by employer health plans paid Indiana hospitals nearly three times—or 292%—of what Medicare would have paid for the same procedures.
Med-tech startup Prevounce, a newcomer to Indy, has big growth plans here
Prevounce Health, which launched in 2019 in Los Angeles, relocated its operations to Indianapolis last fall and just landed $4.5 million in investment funding which the company says will help it expand and double its workforce in coming months.
Lilly says it will push ahead on Alzheimer’s drug
The push by Eli Lilly and Co. will come despite an unfavorable ruling last week from Medicare that sharply restricts reimbursements for a drug in the same class.
Medicare weighs premium cut after limiting Alzheimer’s drug
Thursday’s coverage decision illustrates the impact that a single medication can have on the budgets of individuals and taxpayers.
20 Indiana hospitals docked for high rates of patient injuries, infections
The fines are one way Medicare is clamping down on hospitals, using penalties and incentives authorized by the Affordable Care Act to push for better outcomes, fewer safety problems and a lower number of readmissions.
Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug hits roadblock
The FDA has agreed to speed up review of donanemab, but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is moving to limit reimbursement for drugs in this class to only patients in clinical trials.
Medicare opens up access to free at-home COVID-19 tests
Starting in early spring, up to eight free tests will be available each month to people who have Medicare’s “Part B” outpatient benefit, which about 9 in 10 enrollees sign up for.