Medicare news and information

Unlike a number of other publicly traded health insurers that did very well in the second quarter, Universal American Corp., which specializes in Medicare Advantage products, reported an adjusted net loss for the second quarter. Its revenue slid and its medical-loss ratio came in significantly...
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Two months before open enrollment begins on the state insurance exchanges, CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner downplayed concerns from GOP lawmakers that the 2010 healthcare law will hurt jobs and expressed confidence that the employer mandate delay won't affect the law's implementation.
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Federal legislators are pushing a ban on self-referral in radiation therapy in the wake of a U.S. Government Accountability Office report on the impact of physician financial incentives on prostate cancer treatments.
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Aetna, one of the largest U.S. insurers, continued its push into accountable care contracts, with five new deals in Maine.
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The healthcare world is populated by scores of legal experts who strive to keep up with the sprawling compendium of statutes, regulations and legal advisories known collectively as the “Stark law.” But the law's father, Fortney “Pete” Stark, is not one of them.
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Increasing enrollment in health insurance is one of the primary goals of the health reform law. The CMS took a major step to achieve that by signing agreements with five online insurance brokers.
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The nation's skilled-nursing facilities and inpatient rehabilitation facilities will see their Medicare payments increase in 2014 under two final rules from the CMS this week.
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A lawsuit says Tenet and Health Management Associates paid clinics to direct expectant mothers living in the U.S. illegally to their hospitals and filed fraudulent Medicaid claims on those patients.
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It's Christmas in July for Medicare-participating physicians—though the gift is far from being delivered. On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously passed bipartisan legislation to repeal Medicare's sustainable growth-rate formula and replace it with a stable system of...
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Humana said Wednesday its second-quarter profit rose by 18%, beating Wall Street forecasts, as the health insurer reported broad performance gains led by climbing enrollment in its Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans.
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