Medicare

The Going Gets Tougher

As the third year of Medicare prescription drug coverage approaches, changes in costs and benefits for 2008 again mean that beneficiaries will need to compare drug plans to get the best deal. (December 2007)

Displacing Enrollees in Medicare Drug Plans

About 1.6 million low-income Medicare beneficiaries who received the Extra Help prescription drug benefit this year must switch to another Part D plan before Jan. 1 to maintain premium-free coverage in 2008. (November 2007)

Don't Fall for the Hard Sell

Annual enrollment for Medicare's medical and prescription drug plans begins next month—and officials are scrambling to stop deceptive and fraudulent tactics some salespeople have used to sell beneficiaries Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. (October 2007)

H.R. 4

House passes legislation requiring the government to negotiate for lower Medicare prescription-drug prices. (January 2007)

Online Extra: Stay or Switch?

With new options for Medicare’s 2007 drug plans, once again it’s crucial to do the math. (December 2006)

Medicare Part B Hikes

U.S. Medicare premiums will go up 5.6 percent next year for most older Americans, but for the rich among them, the hike could be higher. (October 2006)

In the Age of Part D

Readers with retiree drug benefits tell us whether they're better or worse off. (September 2006)

Medicare Part D: In and Out Of the Doughnut Hole

Some beneficiaries are already beginning to feel the financial pain of falling into the so-called "doughnut hole"—the most criticized part of Medicare's prescription drug benefit. (June 2006)

Medicare Drug Coverage—the Price of Missing the Deadline

You must sign up for Part D by May 15 to avoid penalties. (May 2006)

How Part D Plays in the Heartland

In Wisconsin, frustration and glitches dampen the startup of the new Medicare benefit, but the process is improving. (March 2006)
• New Q&A on Rx Plans: Additional questions about the Medicare drug program answered

Web Exclusive: New "Extra Help" Income Limits

Beneficiaries whose incomes were too high in 2005 may now be eligible for "Extra Help" under the Medicare drug plan. (February 2006)

Web Exclusive: Extra Help for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

Understand the options and eligibility requirements for Extra Help under the Medicare Drug Plan for beneficiaries in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (February 2006)

Web Exclusive: Quick Route Through Plan Finder

A fast way to find the least expensive Medicare drug plan that covers your drugs. (January 2006)

Web Exclusive: Start of Medicare Drug Plan

Drug plan enrollment education efforts accelerate before the signup period closes on May 15. (January 2006)

The New Math on Rx Drug Costs

Many people who might choose the least expensive Medicare drug plan covering all their drugs could pay less this year than if they got those same drugs from Canada, according to an AARP Bulletin investigation. (January 2006)

Florida’s Medicaid Morass

Florida is poised to begin overhauling its Medicaid program with a controversial test being watched by other states anxious to curb health care spending. (December 2005)

Savings Are in the Details

Trying to choose a Medicare drug plan? A new tool can help you sort out the best deals. (December 2005)

A Better Bargain

Medicare beneficiaries are being courted with better-than-expected deals for Medicare prescription drug coverage next year—but they also face a potentially bewildering variety of choices as scores of private insurers scramble to carve out market share in the new program. (November 2005)

Web Exclusive: Medicare Special Report The Basics

Your step-by-step guide to the new Rx program. (November 2005)

Outwitting Medicare Drug Benefit Scams

With the enrollment period for Medicare’s new Part D prescription drug coverage coming up in November, con artists are trying to take advantage of potential enrollees. (October 2005)

Here Comes the Medicare Drug Benefit

A massive outreach campaign is underway to sign people up for Medicare’s coverage of prescription drugs starting Jan. 1. (September 2005)

Medicare’s ‘Upside-Down Economics’

In a three-part series, Washington Post reporter Gilbert M. Gaul explored a fundamental question: Are patients and taxpayers getting their money’s worth from Medicare? (September 2005)

Limited-Income Beneficiaries Are Trading Up

You may get less in food stamps and other benefits, but you’ll still come out ahead in Medicare’s drug plan. (July-August 2005)

Asset Testing and the New Medicare Law

AARP continues to push for the elimination of the asset test, which excludes many from extra low-income benefits. (July-August 2005)

Do You Qualify for Extra Help in Paying for Prescription Drugs?

The Medicare drug benefit, which starts Jan. 1, offers extra help for people on limited incomes. But you may need to act soon to find out if you're eligible (May 2005)

Anxiety Zone

Millions of older Americans are worried that Medicare’s drug benefit will cause employers to drop their more generous drug coverage. Are the fears justified? (February 2005)

Medicare Advantage: Get More for Less

Older Americans will have access to more of Medicare’s private managed care plans in 2005, with better benefits and lower costs. (December 2004)

Medicare Hike Could Squeeze SS Benefits

Many beneficiaries could see next year’s cost-of-living increases in their Social Security checks much reduced by higher Medicare premiums. (October 2004)

Forces Gather to Push for Change in New Medicare Drug Benefit

Democrats in Congress have already introduced bills to change significant parts of the law. AARP has also called for improvements. So what are the chances of the Medicare drug benefit being improved before it takes effect in 2006? (March 2004)

‘An Opportunity We Can’t Let Pass’

Congress has passed long-awaited but bitterly controversial legislation to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare after AARP ultimately declared its support for the final package. (December 2003)

Lawmakers Intensify Talks on Medicare Drug Benefits

Republican leaders say they are confident President Bush will sign a Medicare prescription drug benefit into law by late November, but daunting issues remain in the way. (November 2003)

Drug Bill’s Fate Remains Up in the Air

As millions of older Americans anxiously watch and wait, Congress continues to debate the details of legislation to fill the nation’s longstanding need for a Medicare prescription drug benefit. (October 2003)

Getting to Yes on an Rx Drug Bill

It’s crunchtime: 17 members of Congress embark on one of the most difficult tasks lawmakers have ever faced—overcoming huge disagreements to pass a Medicare prescription drug benefit. (September 2003)

Will Frist Deliver on Prescription Drugs?

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is optimistic that Congress will enact a prescription drug bill this year. (May 2003)

FDA Criticized for 'Scaring' People Who Buy Medicines from Canada

The controversy over importing prescription drugs from Canada took a new turn when several members of Congress accused the FDA of trying to "scare" older Americans from taking part in the cross-border trade. (May 2003)

Bush Drug Proposal Gets Cool Reception

President Bush's proposal to reform and add prescription drug coverage to Medicare is short on details but offers a "framework," he says, on which Congress can build to pass legislation. (April 2003)

Congress Falls Flat on Rx Drug Promises

Lawmakers have repeatedly pledged to add prescription drug coverage to Medicare or rein in escalating drug costs. So far, they have accomplished nothing. (November 2002)

More HMOs Leave Medicare

Nearly 217,000 Medicare beneficiaries will be dropped by their HMOs as more private health plans withdraw from the Medicare+Choice program. (November 2002)

Fourth in a Series: The High Cost of Drugs
Drug Profits vs. Research: Would Lower Prices Stifle Innovation?

Drugmakers claim that lower prescription drug prices would harm research and ultimately would wreck hopes of cures for major diseases. Is it true? (June 2002)

Third in a Series: The High Cost of Drugs
Drug Industry Spends Huge Sums Guarding Prices

Critics charge that drugmakers spend more on political influence than any other industry. (May 2002)

States Forming Alliances to Deal with Drugmakers

States are testing new ways—purchasing coalitions and preferred drug lists—to hold down rising Rx drug costs. (April 2002)

Second in a Series: The High Cost of Drugs
Brands vs. Generics

Soaring Rx drug prices have cast a spotlight on the use of generic drugs to save money and on drug-industry practices that keep generics off the market as long as possible. (April 2002)

First in a Series: The High Cost of Drugs
Ads, Promotions Drive Up Drug Costs

To what extent does the industry itself add to the demand for—and cost of—drugs by aggressively promoting them to consumers and doctors? (March 2002)

Bush's Drug Plan Targets Low- Income Enrollees

The proposal offers a second strategy for providing interim relief from high drug prices, in addition to last year's pitch for a Medicare drug discount card. (March 2002)

Drug Coverage Crisis Deepens

The prescription drug crisis in America shows every sign of deepening this year as costs rise and coverage shrinks. (January 2002)

Newsmaker: Tom Scully

Medicare’s chief believes that a prescription drug benefit is not a fantasy. (February 2002)

Medicare: New Road?

Everyone agrees that Medicare is out of date, but the definition of "reform" depends on whom you ask. (October 2001)