Senior Prescription Savings

Pharmacists nationwide are "bracing" for the July 2 release of a final rule by CMS that likely will reduce Medicaid reimbursements to pharmacies for generic prescription drugs, the Newark Star-Ledger reports (Cohen, Newark Star-Ledger, 6/24). [click link for full article]

Several newspapers recently published articles addressing Medicare. Summaries appear below.Funding: Recurring Medicare drug benefit financing problems create an opportunity for voters to "demand an adult discussion from political candidates about how they might fix this pivotal health program -- what it might cost, what sacrifices might be demanded of taxpayers and recipients," [click link for full article]

Companies in the medical imaging equipment industry are lobbying Congress to overturn Medicare cuts that took effect in January, the AP/Arizona Daily Star reports. The cuts reduced Medicare reimbursements to doctors for performing X-rays, MRIs and other tests. For example, reimbursements to doctors for MRI scans have decreased an average of 38% nationwide. The cuts are expected to save $2. [click link for full article]

AMA doctors spoke with one voice at the organization's annual meeting in Chicago today, calling on Congress to stop Medicare physician payment cuts and instead update payments in line with practice cost increases. Next year, Congress plans to cut Medicare physician payments by 10 percent, placing seniors' access to health care at risk. [click link for full article]

USA Today on Monday published several articles on issues related to elder care as part of a five-day series. Headlines and summaries appear below."Becoming 'Parent of Your Parent' an Emotionally Wrenching Process": "Caring for elderly parents ... [click link for full article]

AARP wrote to the chief Senate negotiators of the generic biologics bill that is before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee today about their compromise legislation.

AARP, Business Roundtable and SEIU, which together represent more than 50 million Americans, today took another groundbreaking step for their ?Divided We Fail? group by endorsing legislation that would help reduce medical errors and save lives and money by moving from a paper-based health care system to secure electronic medical records.

The HR Policy Association, which represents 250 of the largest employers in the U.S., on Saturday announced the Retiree Health Access program, which is intended to provide affordable health coverage for former employees age 55 to 64, the New York Times reports. [click link for full article]

Seven insurance companies, which together account for 90 percent of the private fee-for-service (PFFS) Medicare Advantage market, have voluntarily agreed to temporarily terminate the marketing and sales of their Medicare private fee-for-service plans to individuals in response to a May 16 hearing held by the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging on the deceptive and confusing sales tactics of private Medicare plans. [click link for full article]

A report released by the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) shows that federal Medicare reimbursement to hospitals and health systems is failing to keep up with the rising costs of delivering care. The report, Falling Behind: Medicare Hospital Payment Policy in New York, shows that both legislated and regulatory cuts have combined to hold New York's cumulative Medicare hospital rate increase to 15.4% over the last ten years. [click link for full article]