Medicare Costs Are New Focus for Candidates
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Democrats are vowing to roll back premium increases, and the Bush campaign is seeking to blame lawmakers for the rise.
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The costs of the Medicare and  Medicaid health insurance programs are rising at unsustainable  rates that will force policy makers to adopt major changes to  curb spending, the head of the Congressional Budget Office  warned on Monday.
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It sounded simple enough on the campaign trail: Free the government to negotiate lower drug prices and use the savings to plug a big gap in Medicare's new prescription-drug benefit. But as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress, they are struggling to keep that promise without wrecking a...
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Americans who previously had no health insurance rack up some expensive medical bills once they are old enough to be covered by Medicare, researchers said on Wednesday.
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FRIDAY, Sept. 29 (HealthDay News) -- While recent patient surveys have suggested that Americans of all backgrounds are getting important disease-screening tests, a new review of Medicare claims refutes that view.
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The cost of living adjustment intended to help more than 47 million Social Security recipients keep up with inflation is expected to be a tad larger in 2005 than it was this year, but the bad news is that much of the increase will be eaten up by higher Medicare premiums.
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HE new, sharply higher charges announced for Medicare beneficiaries last week may prompt more elderly people to join Medicare health maintenance organizations operated by private industry
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New, sharply higher charges announced for Medicare beneficiaries this month may prompt more elderly people to join Medicare health maintenance organizations operated by private industry, according to insurance executives and industry analysts.
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Congressional candidates spent a record &#36;911.8 million in last year's races, and several 2006 contests are already showing signs they will carry big price tags.
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Most people will have to pay 5.6 percent more for basic Medicare coverage next year, but more affluent beneficiaries can expect increases as high as 83.2 percent as the federal government for the first time requires wealthier seniors to pay higher premiums, Medicare officials announced today.
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President Bush and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry are offering distinct plans to help Americans cope with the rising costs of health care.
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For senior citizens enrolled in Medicare, nearly half the increase will be consumed by rising health insurance premiums, making this "good and bad news," said chief executive of the largest advocacy group for retirees.
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WASHINGTON - Medicare premiums for doctor visits will rise 17 percent next year, the largest increase in the program's 40-year history, the Bush administration said Friday.    Monthly payments for Part B of the government health care program - doctor visits and most other non-hospital expenses - will jump to $78.20 from $66.60...
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A day before the first presidential debate, the government's health policy watchdog raised concerns that early mailings to seniors about the new Medicare prescription discount cards championed by President Bush were confusing or inadequate.
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Members of Congress expressed concern about new data indicating that Medicare pays private health plans more than it would cost to care for the same patients in the traditional program.
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Some Iowans may cut back on their coverage, and the state faces having to pay more for Medicaid, officials say. Sharply higher Medicare premiums announced last week by the Bush administration will have a double
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When real issues manage to rise above the smoke and mirrors of political warfare in this exhausting presidential campaign, the cost of health care and medical insurance is just behind terrorism and keeping the country safe among top voter concerns.