Open enrollment for Medicare begins on Wednesday, Oct. 15. Unfortunately, this means scammers will be more likely to take advantage of those trying to sign up.

Access to medical care is already a major issue in rural Virginia, particularly in the southwest region. The ninth congressional district of Virginia has more than 60 community health centers, more than any other district in the state.

Virginia’s Attorney General, Jason Miyares, announced Tuesday his office is investigating  whether manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have artificially inflated prices while “deceiving consumers”. His office said in a press release the probe could uncover violations of the state’s Consumer Protection Act.

The federal budget deficits caused by President Donald Trump’s tax and spending law could trigger automatic cuts to Medicare if Congress does not act, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

UnitedHealth Group says it is cooperating with federal criminal and civil investigations involving its market-leading Medicare business.

Rural hospitals across Virginia are being forced to make painful decisions when it comes to their budget.

The go-broke dates for Medicare and Social Security’s trust funds have moved up as rising health care costs and new legislation affecting Social Security benefits have contributed to closer projected depletion dates.

A new poll shows most U.S. adults don’t think the government is overspending on the programs Republicans in Congress have focused on cutting, like Medicaid and food stamps.

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order setting a 30-day deadline for drugmakers to electively lower the cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. or face new limits down the road over what the government will pay.

CVS Health hiked its 2025 forecast above Wall Street’s expectations after improving Medicare benefits contributed to a better-than-expected first quarter.

Australians are voting Saturday in a general election that will be dominated by the soaring cost of living, the economy, energy and China.

President Donald Trump’s administration has decided not to cover expensive, high-demand obesity treatments under the government-funded Medicare program.

Most of the 80,000 federal workers responsible for researching diseases, inspecting food and administering Medicare and Medicaid under the auspices of the Health and Human Services Department were emailed an offer to leave their job for as much as a $25,000 payment.

The Department of Government Efficiency, run by President Donald Trump’s billionaire adviser and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, has gained access to sensitive Treasury data including Social Security and Medicare customer payment systems.

The Biden administration says popular weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have been added to Medicare’s list of medications that will be negotiated directly between the government and drug manufacturers.

Millions of obese Americans would get access to popular weekly injectables that would help them shed pounds quickly if a $35 billion proposal from the Biden administration is blessed by President-elect Donald Trump.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz unveiled his ticket’s plans to improve the lives of rural voters as Vice President Kamala Harris looks to cut into former President Donald Trump’s support.

Thinner benefits and coverage changes await many older Americans shopping for health insurance this fall.

A constitutional challenge to the Biden administration program enabling Medicare to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs has been revived by a federal appeals court.

At least one mystery about President Joe Biden’s often convoluted answers during the presidential debate has been solved.

People on Medicare who survived a drug overdose were much more likely to later receive opioid painkillers than any medication to treat addiction — and some went on to die of an overdose.

The Supreme Court's decision regarding Idaho's abortion ban may hinge on whether federal spending power can protect doctors against a state's criminal code.

The go-broke dates for benefit programs Medicare and Social Security have been pushed back as an improving economy has contributed to changed projected depletion dates, according to the annual Social Security and Medicare trustees report.

CVS Health missed first-quarter expectations and chopped its 2024 outlook more than a dollar below Wall Street’s forecast.

About one-quarter of U.S. adults age 50 and older who aren't yet retired say they expect to never retire and 70% are concerned about prices rising faster than their income.

President Joe Biden frequently cites insulin prices as he promotes a $35 price cap for Americans with diabetes who are on Medicare.

Certain Medicare patients may get help paying for the popular weight-loss drug Wegovy, as long as they also have heart disease.

Biogen will stop selling its Alzheimer’s treatment Aduhelm.

A bill to create a bipartisan commission that would tackle the nation’s soaring debt and make policy recommendations to Congress has won approval from a House committee.

President Joe Biden is touting his administration's efforts to lower medical costs.

Some private insurers are balking at paying for the first drug fully approved to slow mental decline in Alzheimer’s patients.

U.S. officials granted full approval to a closely watched Alzheimer’s drug on Thursday, clearing the way for Medicare and other insurance plans to begin covering the treatment for people with the brain-robbing disease.

Merck is suing the federal government over a plan to negotiate Medicare drug prices, calling the program a sham equivalent to extortion.

Even with new spending restraints included in the congressional debt limit deal, the U.S. government’s deficits are still on course to keep climbing to record levels over the next few decades.

President Joe Biden says his administration is expanding eligibility for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges to hundreds of thousands of immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

Americans are deeply opposed to cutting into Medicare or Social Security benefits, and most support raising taxes on the nation’s highest earners to keep Medicare running as is.

An annual report on Social Security and Medicare says the financial safety nets millions of older Americans rely on and millions more young people are counting on will run short on funds to pay full benefits within the next decade.

In the federal budget standoff, the majority of U.S. adults are asking lawmakers to pull off the impossible: Cut the overall size of government, but also devote more money to the most popular and expensive programs.

Former Vice President Mike Pence is calling for “common sense and compassionate solutions” to reform entitlement programs and the nation’s debt burden.

President Joe Biden says his administration is focused “intensely” on lowering health care costs.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is proposing changes to entitlement programs for younger generations, opening the door to potential cuts to Social Security and Medicare if elected.

President Joe Biden says GOP lawmakers could put millions of people’s health care at risk.

It seems no one wants to cut Social Security or Medicare benefits.

President Biden is in Tampa and will discuss his plan to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare and lower health care costs.

President Joe Biden is taking direct aim at Republicans who have floated cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

When President Joe Biden suggested that Republicans want to slash Medicare and Social Security it brought howls of protests from the GOP side of the aisle during the State of the Union address.

For all the sound and fury about raising the nation's debt limit, most economists say federal borrowing is not at a crisis point.

The Supreme Court seems likely to reject a call to overturn decades of precedent and limit the ability of individuals to use federal civil rights law to sue.

With Medicare’s open enrollment underway, health experts are warning older adults about an uptick in misleading marketing tactics that might lead some to sign up for Medicare Advantage plans that don’t cover their doctors or prescriptions and drive up their out-of-pocket costs.

For the first time in a decade, Americans will pay less next year on monthly premiums for Medicare’s Part B plan, which covers routine doctors’ visits and other outpatient care.

President Joe Biden has signed Democrats’ landmark climate change and health care bill.

Some older Americans are cheering news of a deal on Capitol Hill that could lead to lower drug costs.

The Biden administration is warning pharmacies not to discriminate against women who may seek reproductive health prescriptions, including some that might be involved in ending a pregnancy.

Senate Democrats want to boost taxes on some high earners and use the money to extend the solvency of Medicare.

A stronger-than-expected economic recovery from the pandemic has pushed back the go-broke dates for Social Security and Medicare, but officials warn that the current economic turbulence is putting additional pressures on the bedrock retirement programs.

Medicare recipients will get a premium reduction — but not until next year.

Biogen is looking for a new CEO less than a year after its launch of its Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm largely fizzled.

Medicare says it’s considering a cut in enrollee premiums, after officials stuck with an earlier decision to sharply limit coverage for a pricey new Alzheimer’s drug projected to drive up program costs.

Medicare says that millions of enrollees will finally have access to free over-the-counter COVID-19 tests at drug stores.

The House has passed a bill capping the monthly cost of insulin at $35 for insured patients.

When the end of the COVID-19 pandemic comes, it could create major disruptions for U.S. health care.

Legislation to limit insulin costs for people with diabetes is getting a new push in the Senate.

Two widely supported bills are encountering delays in the Senate.

The Biden administration says people with Medicare will be able to get up to eight free over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per month, starting in early spring.

Medicare says it's shining a light on key markers for nursing home quality.

Medicare says it will limit coverage of a $28,000-a-year Alzheimer’s drug whose benefits have been widely questioned.

U.S. health secretary Xavier Becerra is ordering Medicare to reassess a big premium increase facing millions of enrollees this year.

The head of a Senate panel that oversees Medicare says the Biden administration should cut back a hefty premium increase soon to hit millions of enrollees.

A new $56,000-a-year Alzheimer’s medication that’s leading to one of the biggest increases ever in Medicare premiums is highlighting the limitations of President Joe Biden’s strategy for curbing prescription drug costs.

Sen. Bernie Sanders is asking the White House to cut back a big Medicare premium hike set to take effect in weeks and tied to a pricey Alzheimer’s drug whose benefits have been widely questioned.

Workers and families with private health insurance would reap savings on prescription drugs from a little-noticed provision in President Joe Biden's social agenda bill.

Bridget chats with two representatives from Anthem Blue Cross and Kroger to better understand the new insurance plans available to you.

Medicare’s “Part B” outpatient premium will jump by $21.60 a month in 2022, one of the largest increases ever.

Medicare enrollees who take expensive medicines could save thousands of dollars a year under the Democrats’ sweeping social agenda bill, but those dividends won’t come overnight.

Democrats say they have sealed a deal to lower pharmaceutical drug costs for most older Americans as part of President Joe Biden’s sweeping $1.75 trillion domestic proposal.

House Democrats have added paid family and medical leave, immigration law changes and a state-and-local tax break to President Joe Biden's $1.75 trillion social services and environmental bill.

Two congressional aides say Democrats have made significant progress on adding compromise provisions curbing prescription drug prices to their massive social and environment package.

Medicaid issues are turning up as winners in President Joe Biden’s social budget framework even as divisions force Democrats to hit pause on far-reaching improvements to Medicare.

Negotiating Medicare drug prices is a linchpin of President Joe Biden's ambitious health care agenda.

Democrats are fretting about how they’d divide a shrinking pie amid signs that negotiations over President Joe Biden’s massive domestic policy bill could yield a smaller serving of health care spending.

A House committee has dealt an ominous if tentative blow to President Joe Biden’s social and environment package.

The sharp shock of the coronavirus recession pushed Social Security a year closer to insolvency but left Medicare’s exhaustion date unchanged, the government reported Tuesday.

On Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., President Joe Biden is expected to address the nation about the need for, along with the availability of, COVID-19 booster shots by September.

With COVID-19 on the rise again and many nursing home staffers unvaccinated, families still lack easy access to crucial Medicare immunization data that will help them pick the right facility for their loved one.

A government watchdog says that deaths among Medicare patients in nursing homes soared by 32% last year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Affordable Care Act is now secure in the framework of the nation’s health care programs, and Democrats are eager to leap above and beyond.

Democrats are committed to passing legislation this year to curb prescription drug prices.

A new report says the $56,000 Alzheimer’s drug approved this week would raise Medicare premiums broadly.

The Justice Department is announcing criminal charges against more than a dozen people from Florida to California in a series of Medicare scams that exploited coronavirus fears to bill tens of millions of dollars in bogus claims.

Medicare says it will require nursing homes to report COVID-19 vaccination rates for residents and staff.

President Joe Biden’s call for authorizing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices has energized Democrats on a politically popular idea they’ve been pushing for nearly 20 years only to encounter frustration.

ROANOKE, Va. – A family-owned Roanoke business has to pay $2.1 million after fraudulently charging Medicare and Virginia Medicaid for medicine. Back in June 2020, Allergy and Asthma Associates (AAA) pleaded guilty for billing Medicare and Virginia Medicaid $627,540 for prescriptions medicine they did not purchase. “When a medical practice fraudulently bills our Medicare and Medicaid programs, it diverts funds from the most vulnerable in our communities and must be held accountable,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Bubar. AdReports also show that the company bought 129 vials of Xolair that weren’t given to Medicaid patients, costing the health care program $88,878. The practice will pay $1,994,607 in settlement fees to the United States government and $154,648 to Virginia for violating the false claims act.

The agency oversees government health insurance programs covering more than 1 out of 3 Americans and is a linchpin of the health care system. CMS also plays a central role in the nation’s $4 trillion health care economy, setting Medicare payment rates for hospitals, doctors, labs and other service providers. The agency also sets standards that govern how health care providers operate. “She is well-respected and liked by the department veterans who have worked with her in the past.”Years ago, Brooks-LaSure worked with Biden's nominee to run HHS, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. AdUnder Biden, Brooks-LaSure will be expected to grow Obamacare enrollment by promoting HealthCare.gov and trying to persuade holdout states to adopt Medicaid expansion.

The Trump regulation would tie what Medicare pays for certain drugs administered in a doctor's office to the lowest price paid among a group of economically advanced countries. Some opponents have likened the Trump policy to a form of socialist price controls. Trump came into office accusing drug companies of “getting away with murder” and promising to slash costs for American patients. Even if the Trump rule is ultimately blocked, the idea of using international prices to lower costs for Americans is very much alive. It's at the heart of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's legislation to empower Medicare to negotiate drug prices.

FILE - In this Oct. 10, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump speaks from the Blue Room Balcony of the White House to a crowd of supporters in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)WASHINGTON – The Trump administration is trying to revive the president's stalled election-eve plan to send millions of Medicare recipients a $200 prescription discount card. White House spokesman Judd Deere confirmed the administration is continuing to move forward. “It’s simply good policy, and demonstrates President Trump is continuing to deliver on his promises to our nation’s seniors to lower drug prices." Pallone dismissed the latest White House push.

WASHINGTON – Trying to close out major unfinished business, the Trump administration issued regulations Friday that could lower the prices Americans pay for many prescription drugs. The Trump administration disputes that and says its rule could potentially result in 30% savings for patients. Trump has taken other action to lower prescription drug costs by opening a legal path for importing medicines from abroad. Also, Medicare drug plans that cap insulin costs at $35 a month are available during open enrollment, currently underway. The Food and Drug Administration has put a priority on approving generics, which cost less.

And just like the Trump administration, Biden is expected to aggressively wield the rule-making powers of the executive branch to address health insurance coverage and prescription drug costs. With COVID-19 surging across the country, Biden's top health care priority is whipping the federal government’s response into shape. “We’re going to work quickly with the Congress to dramatically ramp up health care protections, get Americans universal coverage, lower health care costs, as soon as humanly possible,” the president-elect said earlier this week. A factor that may work in Biden's favor is that many Republicans want to change the subject on health care. Coronavirus relief legislation could provide an early vehicle for some broader health care changes.

The regulations from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, will also increase what Medicare pays hospitals for COVID-19 treatments. Under Wednesday's announcement:— Seniors with traditional Medicare will pay nothing for COVID-19 vaccines, and any copays and deductibles are waived. — The government will pay private Medicare Advantage plans to administer the vaccine to seniors. — Workplace and individual health insurance plans will cover the COVID-19 vaccine as a preventive service, with no cost sharing. — State Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance plans will have to provide vaccines for free for the duration of the coronavirus public health emergency.

WASHINGTON – Medicare will cover the yet-to-be approved coronavirus vaccine free for older people under a policy change expected to be announced shortly, a senior Trump administration official said Tuesday. It's questionable under normal circumstances if Medicare can pay for a drug that receives emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, as expected for the eventual coronavirus vaccine. A White House-backed initiative called “Operation Warp Speed” is pushing to have a vaccine ready for distribution in the coming months. States have already begun submitting their plans for vaccine distribution to the federal government. Initially, it's expected vaccines will go to people in high-risk groups such as medical personnel, frontline workers and nursing home residents and staff.