HomeCare Editors’ Top 5: Week of May 4
Medicare Releases Detailed Data on Prescription Drug Spending
The heartburn drug Nexium — whose advertisements have long been ubiquitous on television — was prescribed to 1.5 million Medicare patients in 2013, for a total cost of more than $2.5 billion, the largest amount spent on any drug prescribed through the government program, according to data released by Medicare officials on Thursday. (Katie Thomas and Robert Pear/The New York Times)
Expanding Medicaid Trims Hospitals’ Costs Of Caring For Uninsured
When patients show up in the hospital without health insurance, they often receive charity care — the hospital treats the person and then swallows some or all of the costs. It’s central to the mission of many nonprofit hospitals, particularly those serving low-income areas. “That’s why we’re here, that’s what we’re all about, and our patients count on us for that care,” says Johnny Smith, who represents Ascension Health, a not-for-profit Catholic health care system that operates 131 acute-care hospitals in 16 states and the District of Columbia. (Anders Kelto/NPR)
U.S. House and Senate Republicans Agree on Combined Budget
Senate and House Republicans reached agreement Wednesday on a combined budget, setting up votes for the first spending blueprint agreed to by both chambers of Congress since 2009. The proposal would boost military spending while outlining a path to end deficits over the coming decade by cutting some $5 trillion in spending. The agreement is unlikely to receive any votes from Democrats, who have said it relies too heavily on sharp cuts to federal programs without raising revenue. (Nick Timiraos and Kristina Peterson/ The Wall Street Journal)
Medicaid Saves Billions More than Medicare from Drug Rebates
A federal law that limits the amount of money Medicare can recoup in drug rebates means the CMS is saving billions more on drugs for Medicaid beneficiaries than for those in Medicare’s Part D prescription drug program, according to HHS’ Office of Inspector General. (Virgil Dickson/Modern Healthcare)
Thanks to technology, Gary Sullivan enjoys a new kind of relationship with his doctor. If he wakes up with a routine health question, the 73-year-old retired engineer simply taps out a secure message into his doctor’s electronic health records system. His Kaiser Permanente physician will answer later that day, sparing Sullivan a visit to the clinic near his Littleton, Colo., home and giving his doctor time to see those with more urgent needs. (Suzanne Allard Levingston/The Washington Post)
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