Medicare

Census officials said there was no statistically significant difference in the number of uninsured when comparing 2018 and 2020 data.

Federal regulators have yet to issue rules to implement a 2017 law designed to lower the cost of hearing devices. However, changes in the industry are offering consumers relief.

When Medicare began in 1965, its backers expected benefits to expand over time, but politics have mostly stymied that. Congressional Democrats are trying again as part of a $3.5 trillion budget plan.

While Medicare coverage might expand during congressional budget reconciliation in the fall, a move is underway to give Florida voters the say on whether the state should expand Medicaid.

A Trump administration rule mandating that hospitals disclose true prices on their websites took effect this year. But compliance is spotty and even when figures are public, they are hard to find and understand.

Medicaid, once considered the ugly duckling compared with the politically powerful and popular Medicare program, now covers nearly one in four Americans.

Aduhelm was recently approved by the FDA and quickly sparked controversy over its price and questionable benefits.

Officials said the program will pay roughly $35 more per dose when enrollees are vaccinated at home. For a two-shot regimen that means Medicare will pay $150, or about $70 more than currently.

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the new head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, says she'll focus her time in charge on getting more Americans insured.

In the latest sign that the idea is catching on, two big players — Kaiser Permanente and the Mayo Clinic — announced plans to collectively invest into a company that provides such services to expand programs.