HomeCare Editors’ Top 5: Week of June 20

Senate Panel Kills Program that Offers Help on Enrollment, Billing Issues
A program that has helped seniors understand the many intricacies of Medicare as well as save them millions of dollars would be eliminated by a budget bill overwhelmingly approved last week by the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. (Susan Jaffe/Kaiser Health News)

Medicare’s Efforts to Curb Backlog of Appeals Not Sufficient
Despite interventions by Medicare officials, the number of appeals from health care providers and patients challenging denied claims continues to spiral, increasing the backlog of cases and delaying many decisions well beyond the timeframes set by law, according to a government study released Thursday. (Susan Jaffe/Kaiser Health News)

Remote Monitoring Fails in Early Tests at Improving Health Outcomes
Internet-linked products and home health monitoring do have the potential to improve care for the elderly, but a review of existing evidence suggests some benefits are quite limited, if they exist at all. (Kourtney Liepelt/Home Health Care News)

Consumers Could Be Facing the Biggest Increase in Potential Premiums Next Year
Premiums for health plans sold through the federal insurance exchange could jump substantially next year, perhaps more than at any point since the Affordable Care Act marketplaces began in 2013. (Susan Levine and Lena Sun/The Washington Post)

Florida Physicians Frustrated With Medicaid
Nearly 70 percent of pediatricians surveyed said that they had seen an increase in the number of patients who have been reassigned to a different insurance company or pediatrician without the parent’s knowledge. (Maggie Clark/Sarasota Herald-Tribune)