Senior Living Blog
Inflation Reduction Act and Medicare Prescription Drugs
On Aug. 12, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) passed the U.S. House by a vote of 220-207, and President Biden is expected to sign it into law. First passed by the U.S. Senate on Aug. 7, the $740 billion budget reconciliation package includes policies on Medicare drug pricing, Affordable Care Act (ACA) […]
August 30, 2022
911 emergency medical system in US ‘at a breaking point,’ ambulance group says
With the Covid-19 surge straining America’s health care system, the 911 emergency call system has been stretched to “the breaking point,” the American Ambulance Association says. Ambulance services are critical in getting sick patients to hospitals for care, and the American Ambulance Association, which represents all of the nation’s ambulance services, said they are struggling to […]
December 8, 2020
Why are telehealth companies treating healthcare like the gig economy?
Telehealth has taken off. Spurred by the pandemic, many doctors in the U.S. now offer online appointments, and many patients are familiar with getting live medical advice over the internet. Given the obvious benefits, many experts have concluded that telehealth is here to stay. “It’s taken this crisis to push us to a new frontier,” […]
December 2, 2020
Hospitals can care for Medicare patients at home in pandemic
Hospitals will be allowed to care for Medicare patients in their own homes during the pandemic under a new program announced Wednesday to help hospitals deal with the latest surge. Some hospitals already offered patients with private insurance the choice of getting care at home instead of in the hospital. The pandemic dramatically boosted use […]
December 1, 2020
First blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer’s goes on sale
A company has started selling the first blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, a leap for the field that could make it easier for people to learn whether they have dementia. It also raises concerns about the accuracy and impact of such life-altering news. Independent experts are leery because key test results have not […]
November 30, 2020
The world’s now scrambling for dry ice. It’s just one headache in getting coronavirus vaccines where they need to go
Vaccines like to be kept cool, none more so than the Pfizer candidate for Covid-19, which has to be deep-frozen. And that’s going to be an issue for developing countries — and for rural areas in the developed world. The “cold rain” is just one of the challenges in distributing vaccines worldwide. There are […]
November 25, 2020
Medicare’s ‘Part B’ outpatient premium to rise by $3.90
Medicare’s ‘Part B’ outpatient premium to rise by $3.90 Medicare’s ‘Part B’ monthly premium for outpatient care will go up by $3.90 next year to $148.50, officials announced late Friday afternoon. For most retirees, the health care cost increase will claim a significant slice of their Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA. It works […]
November 23, 2020
As COVID cases surge in nursing homes, feds urge extra holiday precaution
Federal officials have recommended that nursing home staff and residents avoid contact with relatives during the holidays. As COVID cases surge in nursing homes, feds urge extra holiday precaution As coronavirus rates surge across the nation, the Trump administration issued new recommendations this week urging residents and staff of nursing homes to avoid contact with […]
November 23, 2020
Coronavirus infections rising in New Jersey nursing homes: report
Coronavirus infections among nursing home residents are ticking higher in New Jersey as the second wave has taken effect, per a report. State health records show cases at the Dellridge Health & Rehabilitation Center in North Jersey spiked from two infections in October to seven this week, a local outlet, NorthJersey.com, reported. The incidence of cases among […]
November 17, 2020
Missourians faced a health care gap, so they took matters into their own hands
Missourians faced a health care gap, so they took matters into their own hands Organizing for Medicaid expansion Missourians mobilized by the thousands to get Medicaid expansion on the ballot this year, a move that will impact 230,000 low-income residents in the “coverage gap.” For almost a decade, advocates in Missouri have been lobbying their […]
November 17, 2020