http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Millions of seniors are turning down free money. The Low Income Subsidy for Medicare Part D is a rare beast in economics research. The subsidy provides prescription drug coverage essentially free for low-income adults. That means it is what economists call a dominant option. For those who are eligible, there is no rational reason not to choose it. And yet, a new study shows that many eligible seniors do not take advantage of the program, despite outreach efforts by the Social Security Administration. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-millions-free-health-subsidy.html Health Mon, 06 May 2013 16:00:11 EST news287073584 Combining Medicare's hospital, physician, and prescription drug coverage with commonly purchased private supplemental coverage into one health plan could produce national savings of $180 billion over a decade while improving care for beneficiaries, according to a new study by researchers at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and The Commonwealth Fund published today in the May edition of Health Affairs. Under the proposed plan, called "Medicare Essential," Medicare beneficiaries could save a total of $63 billion between 2014 and 2023, with total premium and out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries estimated to be 17 percent to 40 percent lower than current costs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-medicare-essential-billion-years.html Health Mon, 06 May 2013 16:00:10 EST news287073877 (HealthDay)—Payment and policy updates have been proposed for 2014, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Advanced Notice and draft Call Letter published Feb. 15. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-cms-payment-policy.html Health Fri, 22 Feb 2013 10:23:42 EST news280751011 A new study published online today in the American Journal of Managed Care found that in Medicare Part D, generic drug coverage was cost-saving compared to no coverage in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, while also improving health outcomes. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the Pitt Graduate School of Public Health, and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC note that policymakers and insurers should consider generic-only coverage, rather than no gap coverage, to both conserve health care resources and improve health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-cost-effectiveness-medicare-drug-schizophrenia-bipolar.html Health Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:09:01 EST news280584167 (AP)—A new study says basic prescription drug coverage could vary dramatically from state to state under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-drug-coverage-vary-health-law.html Medications Tue, 04 Dec 2012 11:21:25 EST news273842471 The Obama administration is strengthening the prescription drug coverage that will be available to the millions of people who will start getting insurance through the nation's health care overhaul. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-hhs-overhaul-required-benefits.html Health Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:56:37 EST news272649386 (AP)—A study says seniors in seven of the 10 most popular Medicare prescription drug plans will be hit with double-digit premium hikes next year if they don't shop for a better deal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-premium-hikes-medicare-drug.html Health Tue, 25 Sep 2012 04:55:14 EST news267767691 The majority of Medicare beneficiaries with kidney failure participate in Medicare's Part D prescription drug coverage program, and most of these receive a low-income subsidy from the program, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The study presents the most comprehensive description of drug coverage to date among Medicare beneficiaries with kidney failure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-drug-coverage-medicare-beneficiaries-kidney.html Health Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:00:12 EST news250443433 Changes to provincial drug plans over the past decade did little to address the wide disparities among provinces in prescription drug coverage, according to an analysis by University of British Columbia researchers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-pharmacare-coverage-disparities-decade.html Health Thu, 06 Oct 2011 07:20:01 EST news237101295 Among elderly Medicare beneficiaries with limited prior drug coverage, implementation of Medicare Part D was associated with significant reductions in nondrug medical spending, such as for inpatient and skilled nursing facility care, according to a study in the July 27 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-medicare-d-reduction-nondrug-medical.html Health Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:00:11 EST news230886289