Tag Archives: medicare

Thinking about Joining Medicare Advantage?

If you have Medicare, this time of year always brings an opportunity to switch health plans during the annual open enrollment period, which starts this weekend and runs through December 7. About 30% of Medicare participants choose Medicare Advantage plans—the … Continue reading

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Prescription Drug Costs

The high costs of new drugs, as well as the dramatic price increases of some older and traditionally less expensive generic drugs, have thrust drug prices into the headlines. But what’s the full story? Today, we’re shedding some light on … Continue reading

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Older Adults, Dementia, and Antipsychotic Drugs

About 15% of older adults have dementia. Some of them are prescribed antipsychotic drugs to help treat the symptoms of the disease. However, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved those drugs to treat dementia. May is Older Americans … Continue reading

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The ABCs—and D!—of Medicare

We do a lot of reports on complex Medicare-related issues, such as payment rates and ensuring program integrity. But we’ve also found that Medicare itself can be difficult to understand. Can’t tell your Medicare parts apart? Today’s WatchBlog has you … Continue reading

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Health Care Fraud Schemes (podcast)

How do you find—and stop—fraudsters among Medicare and Medicaid’s 100 million beneficiaries, countless providers, and more than $1 trillion in annual spending? It helps to know what you’re looking for. Listen to Kathleen King, a director in our Health Care … Continue reading

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Making the Difficult Decisions about End-of-Life Care

Planning for your future isn’t just about saving for retirement. Thinking ahead about end-of-life care, uncomfortable as it may be, can help avoid difficult situations later—for both you and your loved ones. For example, if you’re incapacitated, do you want all … Continue reading

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National Immunization Awareness Month

Let’s face it: no one likes getting shots. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vaccinations help protect everyone from infants to elderly people against all sorts of dangerous and potentially lethal diseases. Each August the CDC … Continue reading

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Checking Up on Medicare and Medicaid at 50

Today Medicare and Medicaid turn 50. These landmark programs are the largest sources of health care coverage for millions of older, low-income, and medically needy Americans. Medicare helps provide health care coverage for 54 million aged and disabled individuals, and … Continue reading

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Fiscal Exposures: 5 Sources of Risk that Drive Future Spending

In tandem with today’s release of our audit of the federal government’s fiscal year 2014 consolidated financial statements, we want to highlight our work on fiscal exposures. This is a term that describes services or expenditures that Americans may expect, … Continue reading

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Medicare Recommendations for Healthcare Fraud Prevention and Awareness Month

September may be Healthcare Fraud Prevention and Awareness Month, but GAO tracks this issue year round. Because the Medicare program is particularly susceptible to fraud, waste, and abuse, it has been on our High Risk list since we started compiling … Continue reading

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