#Medicare

Sylvia Burwell, secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), set official goals this week for transforming the Medicare payment system from being based on quantity (fee-for-service) to being based on quality. The goal is to have 85 percent of payments…

A new survey of older adults in 11 industrialized countries finds that the Americans “are sicker than their counterparts abroad” and more likely to report problems paying their medical bills and accessing needed health care. Results of the Commonwealth Fund…

North Carolina is one of the states to which older people are flocking, drawn in part by its charm, natural beauty and low living costs. But North Carolina’s rapidly aging population also poses significant challenges “that point towards what’s ahead…

In a change that some experts say could save money and improve patient care, Medicare in January will begin making special payments to doctors and others to coordinate care for beneficiaries with two or more chronic illnesses. Federal officials suggest…

WASHINGTON -- The Concord Coalition said today that the new reports from the Social Security and Medicare trustees highlight the need for prompt reform of federal entitlement programs, with further delays in such work creating a particular problem for Social…

Short-term improvements in the federal government’s finances have led to widespread complacency in Washington about fiscal reform. (more…)

A book titled “Dead Men Ruling” is not the place you would expect to find an optimistic message about our nation’s future. That is the case, however, with a new book from budget expert Eugene Steuerle of the Urban Institute.…

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) last week announced increases of about 0.4 percent in 2015 government payment levels for private insurance plans that some seniors use instead of traditional Fee-for-Service Medicare.Joshua Gordon, policy director for The Concord…