The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced Medicare Part B premiums for 2020, and the base premium increases nearly 7% from $135.50 a month to $144.60 a month. That $9.10 monthly increase compares to a modest $1.50 monthly increase last year. Meanwhile high earners are still getting used to income-related surcharges that kicked into higher gear in 2018, and those have been bumped up again too.
Pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers are flooding South Florida doctors with millions of dollars in payments for consulting and promotional talks to drive higher prescription rates. The payments have been commonplace in the industry for more than a decade, and have continued at a steady pace despite increased scrutiny from prosecutors and academics, according to an analysis of federal data by ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative journalism organization.
When a judge hears civil cases at the courthouse in this southwest Virginia town two days a month, many of the lawsuits have a common plaintiff: the local hospital, Ballad Health, suing patients over unpaid medical bills. On a Thursday in August, 102 of the 160 cases on the docket were brought by Ballad.
Almost all of the major health insurance companies are spending more on medical care this year than they have in the past. The big picture: Rising prices and more services for some sicker patients are among the many reasons why this is happening. That uptick in spending has freaked out Wall Street, even though insurers are still quite profitable.
As more Americans find themselves shopping for health insurance, there is increasing demand for technology that can help make the right choice. One Miami company is poised to capitalize on the trend — and investors are taking notice.
Seven months after replacing the Westmoreland County system’s top executives, hospital system Excela Health may be turning the corner, just in time to face a new round of bruising competition for consumers’ health care dollars.