Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Time For Checkup On Coverage: Here's A Tip Sheet To Go Over To Examine Priorities During Upcoming Medicare Enrollment Period
If you’re enrolled in Medicare but worry about the cost of health care, your chance to do something about it is right around the corner. Most people enroll in Medicare when they become eligible at age 65. But every fall, they have the opportunity to change their coverage during an enrollment season that runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. This is the time of year when you can switch between original fee-for-service Medicare and Medicare Advantage, the all-in-one managed care alternative to the traditional program. You also can re-evaluate your prescription drug coverage — whether that is a stand-alone Part D plan, or wrapped into an Advantage plan. (Miller, 10/4)
Patients' access to care hasn't been hurt by a decline in the number of primary-care physicians practicing, but a continued drop-off in the rate of new physicians could create problems down the line, according to new research presented Thursday. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission found that about 1 in 5 physicians that it previously considered primary-care physicians are actually hospitalists—physicians whose focus is providing medical care to hospitalized patients. (Brady, 10/3)
