Blog

• Movement Advances to Establish Minimum Staffing in Nursing Homes

  July 17, 2023: The Biden administration is preparing to address the nursing home staffing crisis by introducing a proposed rule that includes requiring more care workers per resident. Low staffing often means that workers are forced to manage care for dozens of pat...Read more >

• NIRS: New Report Finds Disturbing Outlook for Generation X in Retirement

  July 17, 2023: A new report from the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) finds a dismal retirement outlook for Generation X, the first generation to enter the labor market following the shift from defined benefit pension plans to 401(k)-style defined c...Read more >

• Senate Budget Committee Holds Hearing on Strengthening Social Security; Rep. Larson Re-Introduces the Social Security 2100 Act

  July 17, 2023: Social Security was in the news this week with Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) holding a hearing entitled, “Protecting Social Security for All: Making the Wealthy Pay Their Fair Share,” and Rep. John Larson (CT) re-introd...Read more >

• What You Need to Know About the Drug Price Fight in Those TV Ads

  July 12, 2023: In recent months ominous ads about prescription drugs have flooded the TV airwaves. Perhaps by design, it’s not always clear who’s sponsoring the ads or why. Or, for that matter, why now? The short answer is that Congress is paying attentio...Read more >

• KFF Health News: Why the Next Big Hope for Alzheimer’s Might Not Help Most Black Patients

  July 07, 2023: The FDA on Thursday gave full approval to what many scientists and doctors believe is the first drug to show promise of slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. But while patient advocates are celebrating, critics see it as the unfortunat...Read more >

• KFF Health News: Will the Doctor See You Now? The Health System’s Changing Landscape

  June 30, 2023: Lucia Agajanian, a 25-year-old freelance film producer in Chicago, doesn’t have a specific primary care doctor, preferring the convenience of visiting a local clinic for flu shots or going online for video visits. “You say what you need, and ther...Read more >

• Using Aspirin Every Day May Cause Anemia in Seniors

  June 26, 2023: Studies show that more than 40% of adults ages 60 or older take an aspirin every day to prevent dangerous blood clots that could lead to a heart attack or stroke. However, some experts have backed away from recommending blanket aspirin therapy for al...Read more >

• Millions of Insured Older Americans Face Unpaid Medical Bills

  June 26, 2023: Medical debt for older Americans with health insurance is on the rise: new research published by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Office for Older Americans found that while 98% of people over the age of 65 have health insurance through enrol...Read more >

• Following Merck, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Bristol Myers Squibb and PhRMA Sue Administration Over Drug Price Negotiation

  June 26, 2023: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Bristol Myers Squibb and PhRMA, the drug industry’s trade association, have filed three separate lawsuits against the Biden administration to block Medicare’s authority to negotiate lower drug prices. They joined Mer...Read more >

• KFF Health News: Dementia Can Take a Toll on Financial Health, as Some Families Learn the Hard Way

  June 23, 2023: Angela Reynolds knew her mother’s memory was slipping, but she didn’t realize how bad things had gotten until she started to untangle her mom’s finances: unpaid bills, unusual cash withdrawals, and the discovery that, oddly, the mortgage on the...Read more >