There are more than 380 approved hospital-at-home programs in 39 states, according to CMS. In overcrowded hospitals, the programs can help free up needed beds — a persistent issue in facilities such as Mass General Brigham. Last year, nearly 3,000 patients were treated in the voluntary program.
Three senators are calling on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to disclose what he and President Donald Trump discussed with drugmakers during closed-door conversations. Senators Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden and Bernie Sanders sent a letter dated March 10 to Kennedy, who is a longtime critic of the pharmaceutical industry. They accused him of attending "unofficial, million-dollar dinners" with industry executives at Mar-a-Lago.
Elon Musk pushed debunked theories about Social Security on Monday while describing federal benefit programs as rife with fraud, suggesting they will be a primary target in his crusade to reduce government spending. The billionaire entrepreneur, who is advising President Donald Trump, suggested that $500 billion to $700 billion in waste needed to be cut. "Most of the federal spending is entitlements," Musk told the Fox Business Network. "That's the big one to eliminate."
The Trump administration is proposing to shorten ObamaCare's annual open enrollment period by a month, a move the administration said is aimed at helping consumers pick the right plan. According to a proposed rule released Monday, open enrollment would run from Nov. 1 through Dec. 15, instead of through Jan. 15.
The funding bill House Republican leaders released on Saturday does not avert cuts for doctors who treat Medicare patients — a blow to Republicans who had pushed for the changes that also could risk alienating members whose support will be needed to pass the legislation.
Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) worries that if nothing is done to curb Medicare payment cuts to physicians, doctors will no longer be able to afford to run their own private practices.