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April 10, 2012 KHNBipartisan bills are pending again in both the House and Senate to give buyers of hearing aids a small tax break. But, once again, it looks as though the legislation has a long way to go before it could become law.

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April 3, 2012 KHNMedicare now covers screening for depression without any cost-sharing when patients visit their primary care doctor. That's a big deal, because the condition often goes undiagnosed in the elderly.

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March 19, 2012 House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, who proposed a budget last year that was controversial because of radical changes it would have made to Medicare, is making another run at his target. This time he has a Democratic ally, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon. But progressive groups were already attacking the plan even before its official release Tuesday.

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March 12, 2012 Now that he's 65, Romney is eligible for Medicare. But he does not want the coverage. If he changes his mind and signs up later, he may have to pay a penalty.

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February 28, 2012 A Texas doctor and six co-conspirators indicted for an alleged long-running health care scam look to have set a new record for a medical practice: $350 million in fraudulent Medicare bills and $24 million under Medicaid over nearly six years ending in late 2011.

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February 9, 2012 Patients at hospitals in Maryland, Mississippi, Louisiana, Maine and New Hampshire were most likely to get blood infections caused by central lines, new federal data show. Medicare is gearing up to penalize hospitals with high rates of infections that are caused by the institutions.

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December 22, 2011 With official Washington trapped in partisan gridlock, doctors who treat Medicare patients are once again facing the prospect of a big cut in pay that almost no one supports.

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December 15, 2011 The plan would include a cap on total Medicare spending and feature more private competition than under the current program. Even if the proposal draws support, it won't be introduced as legislation until after the 2012 election.

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December 13, 2011 In the first hour of Talk of the Nation, what will the U.S. leave behind in Iraq, and transforming Medicare and Medicaid. In the second hour, children and poverty, the opinion page and letters from our listeners.

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December 8, 2011 KHNEfforts to cut federal spending are targeting a program that gives higher Medicare reimbursements to small hospitals in rural areas. Some observers say the program has gotten so big, it's propping up hospitals that are neither critical to a community nor isolated.

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December 7, 2011 KHNA three-day extension is available to seniors who seek official help with their decision today. To qualify, people need to call a Medicare hotline or an official Medicare partner for help.

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November 30, 2011 KHNMedicare will now cover screening and counseling for obesity as a free preventive service. Advocates hope the decision will encourage private insurers and Medicaid to do the same.

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