Medicare

Democrats and conservatives are divided over whether the federal health program for people over 65 should be run almost entirely by the private sector.

Of the nearly $1 billion saved in prescription drug costs during the first half of 2024 as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act, $78.5 million represented savings to Floridians, according to White House Senior Advisor on Health Christen Linke Young, on a call with WGCU Wednesday. The data comes from the Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. About 1.5 million seniors saved money because of the cap.The savings comes to seniors with Medicare Part D, whose out-of-pocket prescription drug costs are capped at around $3,500 this year. It affected 105,000 people in Florida, Young said. For 2025, prescription drug costs will be capped at $2,000. A report from the Department of Health and Human Services shows that if that cap had been in effect this year, 4.6 million enrollees nationally would have hit it by June 30 and would not have had to pay any more out-of-pocket costs for the rest of the year.Prior to the Inflation Reduction Act, there was not limit to the amount of out-of-pocket drug costs Medicare enrollees might pay for their medication. The Biden-Harris administration implemented the first cap on out-of-pocket drug costs on Jan. 1 of this year.

President Biden has worked to lower prescription drug costs, including for Floridians.

The state Agency for Health Care Administration has reached a settlement in a class-action lawsuit that is expected to lead to the Medicaid program providing incontinence supplies to adults with disabilities, according to court documents.

The state wants a federal judge to put on hold a ruling aimed at keeping children with complex medical conditions out of nursing homes, saying a shortage of nurses would make it “impossible” to comply with a key part of the decision.

After a decade-long legal fight, a federal judge Friday ordered Florida to make changes to keep children with “complex” medical conditions out of nursing homes and help them receive care in their family homes or communities.

President Donald Trump’s campaign swing through Florida Friday included an invitation-only event in Downtown Fort Myers to highlight his administration's efforts to protect seniors.

A proposed federal bill would lower the costs of prescription drugs for Medicare Part D enrollees by requiring the program to negotiate prices and cap...

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will penalize 2,583 hospitals nationwide for having too many Medicare patients readmitted within 30 days,...

President Donald Trump will be in The Villages Thursday for an official White House event.