The AJMC® Medicare compendium is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and expert insights on issues that affect Medicare beneficiaries with a focus on polypharmacy, reimbursement challenges, and other topics related to seniors.
February 4th 2026
Beneficiaries in ACOs receive significantly higher rates of primary and preventive services, signaling value-based care’s impact on quality and chronic disease management.
Searching for the Policy-Relevant Treatment Effect in Medicare’s ACO Evaluations
The authors discuss multiple challenges to the production of policy-relevant results from evaluation of Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs).
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Veterans’ Medicare Advantage Enrollments Drive Cost Duplication
November 11th 2024This research is not the first to uncover duplicative and wasteful spending on health care for veterans who receive care primarily through the Veterans Health Administration as they are also enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans.
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Medicare Costs Push Financial Limits of Many Older Adults
October 28th 2024Patients with Medicare coverage and whose incomes fall between 100% and 400% or less of the federal poverty level may find themselves in a tricky financial situation concerning their ability to pay the Medicare Part A hospital deductible.
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5 Hot Health Care Topics in the Presidential Election
October 18th 2024A review of positions and track records of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on reproductive health, the future of the Affordable Care Act, prescription drug costs, health care consolidation, and a proposed Medicare home health benefit.
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Corporate Accountability and Public Health: Sackler Ruling and Treatment Gaps in the Opioid Crisis
October 2nd 2024The Supreme Court’s decision, paired with the newest data demonstrating the public impact of the opioid crisis, illustrates the legal potential in addressing the crisis and the ongoing public health challenges of treatment access.
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Lower Drug Costs on the Horizon for Medicare Beneficiaries
September 30th 2024Average Medicare drug premiums for older Americans will drop next year for those enrolled in traditional Medicare plans or who have coverage through Medicare Advantage, with opinions divided along party lines on the economic implications.
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IRA Negotiated Drug Prices Can’t Come “On the Backs of Providers”
September 10th 2024There are concerns that the negotiated drug prices under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are leading to large provider reimbursement cuts, explained Nick Ferreyros, managing director, Community Oncology Alliance.
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Medicare Semaglutide Coverage: Millions May Gain Access That Could Cost $145 Billion
August 26th 2024Medicare has not clearly defined what constitutes "established cardiovascular disease," leading to variability in potential patient eligibility; therefore, researchers aimed to estimate the number of Medicare beneficiaries who would become newly eligible for semaglutide under different definitions.
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Survey Exposes Pervasive Billing Errors, Aggressive Tactics in US Health Insurance
August 5th 2024Almost half of insured Americans report receiving unexpected medical bills, leading to financial strain and contributing to worsening health outcomes for many patients, The Commonwealth Fund report reveals.
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CMS Unveils Proposed 2025 Physician Fee Schedule, Maternal Health Standards
July 11th 2024The 2025 Physician Fee Schedule includes a conversion factor reduction, expanded behavioral health services, extended telehealth waivers, new Quality Payment Program pathways, and measures to address suspect billing, alongside a Biden administration initiative introducing federal maternal health standards for hospitals.
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Medicare Advantage Plans Provide No Substantial Cost Savings Over Traditional Medicare
June 24th 2024Beneficiaries who switched from traditional Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan experienced no additional protection from medical costs compared with those who stayed in a traditional Medicare plan.
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CMS Innovation Center's Latest Moves: Embedding Equity Into Value-Based Care
June 12th 2024During the CMS Health Equity Conference, health care leaders shared groundbreaking strategies to integrate health equity into value-based care models, aiming to enhance patient outcomes and reduce costs.
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Medicaid, Medicare Policy Changes Could Lead to More Than 25,000 Additional Deaths, Study Says
April 30th 2024Researchers also estimated that more than 700,000 Americans with diabetes could lose insurance coverage if these proposed retractions are put into place, with some new policies already in effect.
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Alleged Medicare Fraud: Fresenius Vascular Care Faces Civil Lawsuit for Unnecessary Surgeries
October 5th 2023Fresenius Vascular Care's own research reportedly showed these surgeries not only failed to benefit patients with end-stage renal disease, but also potentially damaged their ability to receive essential dialysis treatment.
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Part D Beneficiaries’ Incentives and Responses Under Preferred Pharmacy Networks
April 4th 2023Under preferred pharmacy networks, unsubsidized Part D beneficiaries faced substantial incentives and moderately switched toward preferred pharmacies, whereas subsidized beneficiaries were insulated and demonstrated little switching.
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