One Nation, Under Sedation
Congress wouldn’t allow Medicare to pay for benzodiazepines such as Xanax and Ativan until 2013. Now, the medications are among the most prescribed in its drug program.
Browsing Tag
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
14 posts
The Federal Government Finally Releases Data on Doctors’ Prescribing Patterns
The move follows an investigation showing that Medicare did little to find dangerous prescribing by doctors to seniors and the disabled. It is also part of the government’s new push to bring transparency to taxpayer-supported medical care.
The Cost of a Cure
Medicare’s spending on drugs to treat hepatitis C soared more than 15-fold from 2013 to 2014 as new breakthroughs came to the market, according to previously undisclosed federal data. The drugs cure the disease, but taxpayers are footing the bill.
Why Is Medicare Overpaying Billions for Office Visits and Patient Evaluations?
The findings by the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services complement a recent review that found many doctors bill for services very differently than their peers.