Medicare Widens Coverage for Heart Device
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Medicare has agreed to expand coverage by one-third for implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) -- devices used to steady hearts that beat irregularly -- to 500,000 patients, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
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The Food and Drug Administration yesterday approved for use the first totally implantable artificial heart under a program that will make the complicated, $250,000 device available for  as many as 4,000 people.
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The U.S. government on Tuesday  proposed expanding Medicare coverage for costly implanted heart  devices, a decision expected to benefit makers Guidant Corp.,  Medtronic Inc. and St. Jude Medical Inc.
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U.S. health officials on Thursday  approved over-the-counter sales for an at-home heart  defibrillator that proponents hope will save more people from  sudden cardiac death.
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Doctors are to trial a new type of heart pump to help people with heart failure.
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In a tug of war over the skyrocketing costs of medical technology, the makers of implantable defibrillators are opposing a plan by Medicare to track the health outcomes of patients who get the devices.
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Wider coverage for expensive  implanted heart devices likely will cost the U.S. Medicare  program for seniors about $2 billion over five years, the  program's administrator said on Thursday.
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A key Medicare coverage decision,  expected as early as Wednesday afternoon, could vastly expand  the $4.8 billion market for devices used to resuscitate  patients whose hearts are beating out of control, doctors and  device maker Medtronic Inc. said on Tuesday.
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Medicare premiums will rise 17.4 percent next year, or $11.60 a month, the largest dollar increase in the program&#39;s 40-year history, the US Health and Human Services Department said Friday.
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Medicare has proposed expanding coverage for expensive cardiac defibrillators surgically implanted in patients at risk for sudden cardiac arrest.
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The 42 million disabled and elderly Medicare beneficiaries will be hit with the largest premium increase in 15 years, Bush administration officials said Friday.
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FRIDAY, Dec. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Efforts to include more private insurers in Medicare may be costing the agency more money, new research shows.
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Medicare will soon fund implantable  heart devices for thousands more patients, after publication of  a landmark study finding the devices can save more lives, top  agency officials said in a medical journal on Wednesday.
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Many elderly and disabled Americans participating in the Medicare drug benefit next year will have more plans to choose from as the number of companies offering coverage nationwide jumps to 17.
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The basic Medicare premium will rise next year to $93.50 a month, an increase of $5, the Bush administration announced Tuesday.
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Federal officials say rising costs, increased payments and some new benefits mean Medicare must raise its Part B premium 17% next year for most of the nearly 42 million seniors and disabled people covered by the program.
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A new group of patients that qualifies for Medicare reimbursement for implantable heart defibrillators may have to wait a few days longer until payment is available, the federal government said on Thursday.