Health Care

Medicaid Work Requirements in Question

By Michael Rainey

A justice department lawyer defending the Trump administration’s approval of work requirements for Medicaid recipients in Kentucky and Arkansas told a panel of federal appeals court judges Friday...
US Surgeons General Say Dementia Is Top Public Health Crisis

By Yuval Rosenberg

Four former surgeons general who served under presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are warning that dementia is the nation’s top public health crisis. In a guest commentary...
The Budget Outlook Isn’t Good — but It Has ‘Improved Substantially Since 2010’: Report

By Yuval Rosenberg

The national debt is now approaching $23 trillion, up nearly $9 trillion from the end of 2010, and the debt held by the public now stands at nearly $17 trillion, up about $7.5 trillion from since the...
States Spending Millions to Administer Medicaid Work Requirements

By Michael Rainey

States deploying work requirements in their Medicaid programs are spending millions of dollars on administrative costs to implement the new rules, according to a new study by the Government...
Trump Wants States to Experiment With Medicaid — Up to a Point

By Michael Ollove, Stateline

After a series of zigzags, Utah is about to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. At least 10 red states have done the same, but Utah’s experience may be a bellwether showing how far the...

The Big Push for Medicare Advantage

By Michael Rainey

Medicare is shaping up as one of the most important issues in the 2020 election, with several leading Democrats offering proposals that would significantly expand the program. President Trump jumped...
‘Unsupported’ Price Hikes on Seven Drugs Cost $5.1 Billion Over Two Years: Report

By Yuval Rosenberg

Drugmakers over the last two years raised prices on seven widely used medications above the rate of medical inflation and without any new clinical evidence to justify the increases, according to a...
Facing Potential Chaos, Trump Admin Will Delay Obamacare Changes if It Wins Lawsuit: Report

By Yuval Rosenberg

The impending federal appeals court ruling in the case challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act could present a conundrum to the Trump administration: A legal victory upholding a...
Pete Buttigieg Unveils Plan to Lower Prescription Drug Prices

By Yuval Rosenberg

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg on Monday rolled out a sweeping plan intended to lower prescription drug prices. Here are some key elements of the plan: Negotiating drug prices: Like...
1 in 4 Dollars in US Health Care Is Wasted: Analysis

By Michael Rainey

A new analysis published Monday in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association finds that about 25% of all U.S. health care spending goes to waste. The authors, Drs. William H. Shrank,...

Trump Says He Made Social Security, Medicare Stronger. Fact-Checker Says False.

By The Fiscal Times Staff

President Trump said this week that "Democrats want to destroy Medicare. If you look at what they’re doing, they’re going to destroy Medicare. And we will save it. We will keep it going. We’re making...
Did Soaring Health Care Costs Consume Americans’ Pay Raises?

By Michael Rainey

A hard-hitting report released this week from analysts at the insurance firm Willis Towers Watson claims that the health care system is responsible in large part for the lack of income growth...
Obama: 'Suddenly Deficits Do Not Matter'

By Yuval Rosenberg

Former President Barack Obama stepped back into the political fray on Friday, delivering a blistering rebuke of President Trump and the Republican Party while signaling how he plans to campaign on...
Obamacare Markets Stabilize, Will See Smaller Premium Hikes in 2019

By Michael Rainey

Premiums for Affordable Care Act insurance plans will see relatively modest increases averaging 3.6 percent next year, and some states will actually see rate decreases, according to an analysis...
Why Protections for Pre-Existing Conditions Are Such a Potent Political Issue

By Yuval Rosenberg

The Affordable Care Act provisions preventing insurers from discriminating against patients with pre-existing medical conditions have become a popular — and politically potent — element of the law,...