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The rising cost of Medicare can be cut through strategies such as increasing premiums and raising the eligibility age, but those moves could drive many elderly Americans from the program, leaving them with limited access to health services, according to a new study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-curbing-medicare-seniors.html Health Mon, 06 May 2013 16:00:02 EST news287059493 Prostate cancer patients receiving the costly treatment known as proton radiotherapy experienced minimal relief from side effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction, compared to patients undergoing a standard radiation treatment called intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), Yale School of Medicine researchers report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-hype-costly-prostate-cancer-treatment.html Cancer Thu, 13 Dec 2012 16:30:08 EST news274638592 (HealthDay)—Savings on prescription drugs related to the Affordable Care Act have reached $5.1 billion, according to a Dec. 3 news release from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-health-law-boosts-meds-medicare.html Health Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:50:02 EST news274113429 Among the two available procedures for opening blocked arteries surrounding the heart, one appears to be safer than the other for dialysis patients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The findings may help lead to better care for kidney failure patients with coronary heart disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-coronary-heart-disease-kidney-failure.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 29 Nov 2012 17:29:29 EST news273432560 heralded for its low complication rates—actually results in more complications than whole-breast radiation one year after treatment, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-older-breast-cancer-patients-complications.html Cancer Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:00:04 EST news270136740 Almost one-third of older adults received care in a skilled nursing facility in the last six months of life under the Medicare posthospitalization benefit, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-high-medicare-skilled-nursing-benefit.html Health Mon, 01 Oct 2012 16:00:01 EST news268315800 The protection of the savings of the elderly—one of the primary goals of Medicare—is under threat from a combination of spiraling healthcare costs and increased longevity. As the government attempts to reduce Medicare costs, one suggestion is that the elderly could pay a larger proportion of the costs of their healthcare. But exactly how much would this be and what impact would it have on their finances? A new study by Amy Kelley at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and her colleagues, funded by the National Institute on Aging, aims to identify the portion of wealth Medicare beneficiaries spend on healthcare costs in the last five years of life. Their work appears online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-health-care-elderly-hard-diminish-financial.html Health Tue, 04 Sep 2012 16:32:53 EST news265995030 The Medicare Part D coverage gap was associated with reduced use of antidepressants in a study of beneficiaries 65 years or older with depression, according to a report by Archives of General Psychiatry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-medicare-coverage-gap-reductions-antidepressant.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:00:19 EST news260457006 A new study of 1,400 Medicare-aged patients reinforces CT colonography as a screening tool for colon cancer, adding to the continued debate over Medicare coverage of the procedure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-medicare-ct-colonography.html Cancer Sun, 01 Jul 2012 06:11:39 EST news260341884 (AP) -- Couples retiring this year can expect their medical bills throughout retirement to cost 4 percent more than those who retired a year ago, according to an annual projection released Wednesday by Fidelity Investments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-couples-health.html Health Wed, 09 May 2012 11:50:01 EST news255782370 Computerized tomographic (CT) colonography (CTC), also known as virtual colonoscopy, is comparable to standard colonoscopy in its ability to accurately detect cancer and precancerous polyps in people ages 65 and older, according to a paper published online today in Radiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-ct-colonography-shown-standard-colonoscopy.html Cancer Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:02 EST news249148885 The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has prepared a request to submit to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to expand coverage of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) for specific diseases, including hypertension, obesity, and cancer, as part of the CMS National Coverage Determination (NCD) Process. Most chronic health conditions can be controlled or treated with medical nutrition therapy, yet Medicare will only reimburse nutrition therapy services provided by a registered dietitian for individuals with diabetes and renal disease. "That's just not enough if we want to improve the health of the nation and rein in escalating healthcare costs," says Marsha Schofield, MS, RD, LD, the Academy's Director of Nutrition Services Coverage. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-academy-nutrition-dietetics-advocates-nutritional.html Health Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:10:10 EST news243490146 (Medical Xpress) -- Even when covered by health insurance, cancer patients face mounting out-of-pocket expenses that force some to avoid filling prescriptions, skip doctor appointments, and scale back on food and other necessities. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-medical-bills-cancer-patients-skimp.html Cancer Tue, 07 Jun 2011 08:47:04 EST news226655180 Colorectal cancer screening rates increased for Medicare beneficiaries when coverage was expanded to average-risk individuals, but racial disparities still exist, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-colorectal-cancer-screening-medicare-beneficiaries.html Cancer Tue, 03 May 2011 13:20:01 EST news223646624