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Deaths among Medicare patients in nursing homes soared by 32% last year, with two devastating spikes eight months apart, a government watchdog reported Tuesday in the most comprehensive look yet at the ravages of COVID-19 among its most vulnerable victims. The report from the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services found that about 4 in 10 Medicare recipients in nursing homes had or likely had COVID-19 in 2020, and that deaths overall jumped by 169,291 from the previous year, before the coronavirus appeared. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 6/22)

Deaths among Medicare patients in nursing homes soared by 32% last year, with two devastating spikes eight months apart, a government watchdog reported Tuesday in the most comprehensive look yet at the ravages of COVID-19 among its most vulnerable victims. The report from the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services found that about 4 in 10 Medicare recipients in nursing homes had or likely had COVID-19 in 2020, and that deaths overall jumped by 169,291 from the previous year, before the coronavirus appeared. (6/22)

The study, which analyzed the Medicare claims of 3.1 million Medicare beneficiaries who resided in nursing facilities and skilled nursing facilities in 2020, highlights the pandemic's disproportionate toll on the country's seniors in nursing homes, where more than 130,000 residents have died from the virus so far. It found that some 763,000 Medicare beneficiaries in nursing homes were confirmed positive for COVID-19 in 2020, and an additional 533,000 likely had it. COVID-19 was suspected in that latter group, but not confirmed by a positive test result, mainly due to a shortage of tests during the early months of the pandemic. (Paulin, 6/22)

Less than half of nursing home workers in Idaho have been vaccinated against COVID-19, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said. The agency said that 47.5% of Idaho nursing home workers were fully vaccinated by May 30. The agency said more than 82% of residents are vaccinated. (6/21)

As more emphasis is placed on the value of prescription medicines, a new study found cost-effectiveness analyses were unavailable for many of the medicines that accounted for a large share of Medicare Part D spending in 2016. And more than half of the analyses that were conducted failed to meet minimum standards. Specifically, cost-effectiveness was not studied for 115 of the 250 drugs for which Part D spending was greatest in 2016, the last year for which complete data was available when the study began. Those medicines accounted for 33% of the $146.1 billion in total Part D spending that year, according to the study published in JAMA Network Open. (Silverman, 6/21)

Nearly $50 billion or a third of Medicare Part D costs in 2016 were for drugs with absent cost-effectiveness analyses, according to a report from JAMA Network Open. The lack of a quality analysis that weighs the relative cost with outcomes of these drugs may create hurdles toward efforts aimed at addressing drug spending in terms of value. (Fernandez, 6/21)

West Virginia has picked Humana Inc. to continue providing health insurance for the 54,000 retirees eligible for Medicare and their dependents in the state. The state’s public employees’ insurance agency awarded the health provider a new, four-year contract last week. (6/22)

For some Medicare beneficiaries, health-care coverage ends up costing more than it does for most of their peers — and it’s not by choice. While there are costs that individuals often are aware of — i.e., they purchase a supplemental policy or choose a more expensive plan — some premium-related expenses sneak up on enrollees. And depending on the person, they could add up to thousands of dollars extra a year. (O'Brien, 6/21)