Medicare news stories on Newser

Social Security in Worse Shape Than We Thought

Kate Schwartz — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:48:58 CDT

If your outlook on Social Security is a dismal one, the government's latest revelation will only add to your gloom: The trust funds that feed Social Security will be exhausted in 2033, a full three years earlier than the last government estimate. Medicare is still set to die in 2024,...

Obama Blows $8B on Reelection Trick

Kevin Spak — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:18:14 CDT

What would you say if President Obama took $8.3 billion in taxpayer money and used it for his reelection campaign? Because that's exactly what he's done by giving Medicare Advantage a stay of execution, according to Benjamin Sasse and Charles Hurt of the New York Post . The law, they...

Hospitals Open Special ERs for Elderly

Kevin Spak — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:30:05 CDT

America is getting older, and the elderly account for 15% to 20% of emergency room visits, so hospitals have come up with a new way to cater to them: the geriatric ER. Dozens of these facilities are opening across the country, the New York Times reports, looking more like soothing...

ObamaCare to Add $340B to Deficit: Study

Kevin Spak — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 07:41:47 CDT

The Affordable Care Act isn't going to reduce the deficit as the Congressional Budget Office claims; it's going to expand it by more than $340 billion, according to a new study by Charles Balhous, the GOP trustee for Medicare. Balhous argues that traditional budget math "double counts" $575 billion in...

Romney Turns 65, Takes a Pass on Medicare

Rob Quinn — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 04:00:00 CDT

Mitt Romney turned 65 yesterday, but unlike most Americans of his vintage, he won't be enrolling in Medicare or Social Security. A campaign aide confirmed that Romney will be keeping his private insurance plan. The candidate's Medicare policy statement says he believes wealthier seniors should receive less support, although Democrats...

Santorum: Obamacare Bad for Marriage

Rob Quinn — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:54:00 CST

Rick Santorum kept up the attacks on President Obama yesterday as polls showed his nationwide lead over Mitt Romney widening. Santorum accused Obama's policies, including health care reform, of hurting traditional families, Reuters reports. "Do you realize that if you are married under Obamacare, you pay a lot more than...

Congress Strikes Payroll Tax Deal

Kevin Spak — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:56:49 CST

Congressional negotiators have reached a deal on a $150 billion economic bill that will extend the payroll tax holiday through the end of the year, while also extending unemployment benefits and preventing an automatic cut in doctors' Medicare reimbursements. Congress could vote on the bill as soon as today, the...

Dummy Firms Squeeze Millions From Medicare

Rob Quinn — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 04:42:54 CST

Fraudsters using complicated networks of ghost companies are sucking hundreds of millions of dollars out of Medicare every year and it's a bit like taking candy from a baby, a Reuters investigation finds. The probe—which officials say will likely lead to a criminal investigation of the firms involved—found...

PolitiFact Reveals Its 'Lie of the Year'

Matt Cantor — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:50:00 CST

The biggest lie coming out of Washington this year was Democrats' assertion that "Republicans voted to end Medicare," PolitiFact says. Paul Ryan's proposal wouldn't have changed anything for people already 55 and older, and it would only have altered—not ended—Medicare for others, says the non-partisan fact-checking website. It...