By Sandra Block From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance When confronted with a task that’s necessary but joyless, it’s human nature to put it off until the last minute. And for some retirees, taking withdrawals from their retirement savings accounts is another chore that falls to the bottom of their to-do list. Investments in traditional Individual Retirement…

Federal officials made more than $247 billion in improper payments in 2022, with more than half of the total—$132.4 billion—coming in five major Medicare/Medicaid programs in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to a June 2023 analysis by nonprofit government watchdog Open The Books (OTB). OTB, which is based in Illinois, specializes…

Federal officials made more than $247 billion in improper payments in 2022, with more than half of the total—$132.4 billion—coming from five major Medicare/Medicaid programs in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to a June analysis by nonprofit government watchdog Open The Books (OTB). The $247 billion for 2022 was the second-highest…

In a unanimous ruling on June 1, the Supreme Court revived whistleblower lawsuits against pharmacy operators SuperValu and Safeway for allegedly overcharging the government by filing false Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement claims for prescription drugs they sold. The case was considered important because it concerns the federal False Claims Act (FCA), which is a key tool for…

By Sandra Block From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance If you’re enrolled in Medicare and spend a lot of money on prescription drugs, legislation enacted last summer could lower some of your expenses. The prescription-drug provisions in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act will be phased in over seven years, but some take effect as early as this…

Nearly 73,000 Arkansans lost Medicaid coverage in April as pandemic-relief programs wind down nationwide. About 15 million people could lose Medicaid coverage around the country over the next year, as states start to determine eligibility for assistance after a provision under the 2020 federal COVID-19 public health emergency law expires in May. At least 93…

Most older adults ages 50 to 80 say it’s important to stay in their homes for as long as they can, according to the 2022 National Poll on Healthy Aging from the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation at the University of Michigan. But only 1 in 3 said their home “definitely” has the features…

Almost 12 million Australians will find visiting their doctor less taxing on the household budget as the federal government announced a $3.5 billion (US$2.4 billion) investment into bulk billing. The largest funding boost in bulk billing is part of the $6.1 billion package into strengthening Medicare and providing middle Australians, not just the most vulnerable,…

In a conversation held by the Heritage Foundation at 11:00 a.m. ET on May 9, John Goodman, president and CEO of The Goodman Institute; Doug Holtz-Eakin, president of American Action Forum; and Dr. Brian Miller, fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, discuss the status quo and what to do to save Medicare. …

In a conversation held by the Heritage Foundation at 11:00 a.m. ET on May 9, John Goodman, president and CEO of The Goodman Institute; Doug Holtz-Eakin, president of American Action Forum; and Dr. Brian Miller, fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, discuss the status quo and what to do to save Medicare. …