American seniors still pay more for health care than their counterparts in most other wealthy countries do, despite coverage by Medicare, a new study finds.

They are also more likely to postpone or skip needed care because of cost concerns.

“In the U.S., nearly all older adults are covered by Medicare and can access, at minimum, the most basic health services,” concluded...

The outgoing Biden administration will propose that pricey GLP-1 obesity medications such as semaglutide (Wegovy), and tirzepatide (Zepbound) be covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

However, the move would have to be approved by the new Trump administration. 

Right now, a law passed b...

U.S. health care costs are among the world's highest, and 1 in 4 adults with health coverage struggle with high out-of-pocket costs, a new survey shows.

The survey -- by the Commonwealth Fund, a health-care focused think tank -- finds that most people have coverage offered by employers, but their policies don't always provide timely or affordable access to care. 

As a result, m...

Hospice care is a compassionate and heartfelt enterprise, involving a medical team dedicated to maintaining a person’s comfort and dignity as they face the final curtain.

Now, new research shows hospice is also incredibly cost-effective as a health care service, a new report says.

For-p...

A simple tweak in available vial sizes of the breakthrough Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi could save Medicare hundreds of millions of dollars each year, a new analysis claims.

About 6% of Leqembi (lecane...

About 6.5 million “Near Dual” seniors are struggling to afford long-term care as they grow older and more frail, a new study warns.

“Near Dual” seniors are those who are eligible for Medicare but are only at the cusp of eligibility for Medicaid, the federal/state insurance program for the poor, researchers said.

Medicaid covers long-term care for seniors; Med...

New Medicare rules could make 3.6 million Americans -- or even more -- eligible for treatment with the pricey weight-loss drug Wegovy, a new study finds.

Under the new rules, the government will pay for Wegovy treatment if a person with high BMI also has heart disease.

Until now, federal reg...

The Biden administration said Thursday that it has signed deals with drug companies that will lower the prices on 10 of the most popular and expensive drugs used by American seniors.

Taxpayers should save $6 billion because of the new prices, while seniors using Medicare could save roughly $1.5 billion on their medications, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said in a new...

Older voters are keenly interested in the cost of health care, a new survey has found.

Five of the top six health issues among older adults have to do with health care costs, according to new data from the University of Michigan’s National Poll on Healthy Aging.

“There have been efforts in recent years to reduce costs of some types of care for older adults, especially t...

Having private insurance may not be all it is cracked up to be when it comes to hospital bills, new research warns.

In a report published Monday by the nonprofit research institute RAND Corp., researchers discovered that patients with private health insurance may wind up paying more for procedures or tests p...

A budget-busting 3.6 million Medicare recipients could now be eligible for coverage of the weight-loss drug Wegovy, a new KFF analysis says.

That's because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of Wegovy (semaglutide) to reduce the risk of heart attacks ...

An overwhelming majority of older Americans think health insurers and Medicare should cover the cost of weight-loss medications like Ozempic, Wegovy or Zepbound, a new survey has found.

More than four out of five older adults (83%) think insurance companies should pay for drugs that help obese people manage their weight, according to poll re...

As people age, health issues tend to mount, but roughly a quarter of low-income adults over 65 have no medical insurance.

That's the age when most Americans become eligible for Medicare, the federal health insurance for seniors. But many of the uninsured seniors are Hispanic Americans who aren't eligible for that coverage, or lower income people who may not be able to afford Medicare prem...

The Biden administration on Tuesday named the first 10 medicines that will be subject to price negotiations between Medicare and participating drug companies.

The list represents the first step in a landmark program aimed at reducing the government's drug spending, and potentially U.S. drug prices in general. However, six major drug companies are already challenging the program in court.<...

U.S. seniors with mental health needs may not have much access to psychiatrists who could help them, new research shows.

Despite an overall heightened demand for mental health services, nearly two-thirds of Medicare Advantage psychiatrist networks included less than 25% of all psychiatrists in a given service area.

"This means that many people who have coverage through Medicare Adv...

A new study shows that older Americans with health issues are now staying with their Medicare Advantage managed plans, rather than swapping them for traditional plans through a health insurer.

Although Medicare Advantage has been criticized in the past for "cherry-picking"healthy patients, that's no longer the case, according to the research.

"This is not what a lot of people would ...

The so-called "Medicaid cliff" is a perennial threat for millions of American seniors whose incomes put them just above the poverty line.

While impoverished seniors often have Medicaid to help cover their health care expenses, seniors who make just a little bit more have to pay the higher out-of-pocket costs of Medicare themselves.

The upshot: They're much less likely to go to the ...

Do all patients get the same amount of face-to-face time when visiting their primary care doctor?

Apparently not, claims a new study that found Black and Hispanic patients -- as well as patients with public health insurance like Medicaid or Medicare -- tend to get the short end of the stick when it comes to the length of office visits.

In some cases, shorter visits can potentially ...

Without dental coverage, many American seniors on Medicare stop getting the fillings and crowns they may need, a new study finds.

The result isn't pretty.

"Without dental coverage for adults who are eligible [for] Medicare, we are seeing a rise in loss of teeth after age 65 among nearly 1 in 20 adults, which represents millions of Americans,"said