Browse Heartland
-
Running on Medicare for All in Florida Is a Fool’s Errand
Opinion -Angie Nixon’s unexpected defeat of establishment Democrat Alexander Vinman yet again shows that moderate Democrats underestimate the raw political power of the Democratic Socialists of America’s (DSA) “free” stuff agenda. -
The Math Ain’t Mathing on the DSA’s Medicare for All
Opinion -The Democratic Socialists of America’s (DSA) recently released “Workers Deserve More” program is full of silly policies that will probably never come to full fruition, fortunately. However, one of the more “mainstream” policies of the program, Medicare for All, absolutely could become the law of the land. -
- Health Care News
- Health Care
Medicare Advantage Popularity Causing ‘Friction’ for Hospitals
Publication -Medicare Advantage (MA) penetration has reached as high as 70 to 80 percent in some markets, a hospital administrator tells Becker’s Hospital Review in a December 4, 2025, article, but it is creating “friction” and could lead to more hospitals cancelling MA contracts. MA plans are popular because of the “simplicity and potential cost savings” […] -
- Health Care News
- Health Care
Medicare Advantage Plans Profit When They Keep Enrollees Healthy – Commentary
Publication -The American health care system has two distinguishing characteristics. First, similarly situated individuals pay the same premium, regardless of their medical conditions. Put differently, no one who acquires health insurance ever pays an actuarially fair price. Second, insurers invariably lose money on people who are known to be relatively sick and make money on people […] -
- Health Care News
- Health Care
Medicare Medical Savings Accounts Elude Enrollees
Publication -Medicare enrollees shopping for a “Medicare Medical Savings Account (MSA)” are coming up short in most states because insurers do not offer them. After a limited demonstration in 1997, the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act made MSAs a permanent option for Medicare enrollees. The plans combine a high-deductible health plan with a medical savings account. […] -
- Health Care News
- Health Care
The GOP’s Option to Fix Medicare Is Right in Front of Their Eyes – Commentary
Publication -Following the federal government shutdown, health care, Medicaid, and Medicare have again surged to the forefront of national debate. Amidst all the finger-pointing, one truth is clear: America’s health care system remains bloated, costly, and unsustainable. For years, Republicans have excelled at identifying what’s wrong but have struggled to offer practical, free-market alternatives. Ironically, one […] -
- Health Care News
- Health Care
More Hospitals Drop Medicare Advantage
Publication -Thirty-three hospital systems are dropping their Medicare Advantage (MA) contracts, reports Becker’s Hospital Review. The publication has been monitoring participation rates for several years. In 2024, citing contracts ending in 2025, Becker’s lists 33 hospitals as becoming “out of network” for Medicare Advantage contracts. In 2023, 13 hospitals ended their contracts. In 2024, the publication […] -
- Health Care News
- Health Care
Congress Considers Three-Year Auto-Enrollment in Medicare Advantage
Publication -A bill before Congress would allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to automatically enroll newly eligible citizens into a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan with a mandatory three-year enrollment. H.R. 3467, sponsored by Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), would amend the Medicare Advantage Reform Act to mandate automatic MA enrollment for plan years on or […] -
- Health Care News
- Health Care
Medicare Advantage ‘Coding’ Loopholes Targeted in New Bill
Publication -Responding to criticisms lodged against an otherwise popular program among seniors, Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced a bill to improve the way Medicare Advantage (MA) providers determine patients’ health risks, to eliminate overpayment. The bipartisan No Unreasonable Payments, Coding, and Diagnoses for the Elderly (No UPCODE) Act aims at saving […] -
- Health Care News
- Health Care
Senate Considers Ending More-Expensive Hospital Rates Under Medicare
Publication -The U.S. Senate is considering legislation that would mandate “site-neutral” reimbursement in Medicare, eliminating the rule that pays hospitals more for services that can often be provided at a lower cost elsewhere. The Congressional Budget Office estimates implementing site-neutral payments for hospital outpatient departments could save taxpayers roughly $157 billion over 10 years. Over that […] -
- Health Care News
- Health Care
Hospitals Say No to Medicare Advantage
Publication -Hospitals and medical centers across the United States are increasingly opting out of Medicare Advantage (MA), a popular program that provides coverage to millions of older Americans. Providers are exiting MA so fast that Becker’s Hospital Review now continuously updates its growing list of cancellations. In 2025, Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White severed ties with […] -
- Health Care News
- Health Care
House Hearing: Can Medicare Deliver Better, Cheaper Post-Acute Care?
Publication -The House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee held a hearing on ways to improve access to quality post-acute care. Millions of Medicare enrollees require care after a hospital stay, such as rehabilitation, hospice, and home health care, and quality and access have suffered over the years, the panelists said. Consolidation, mergers, and acquisitions by national […] -
- Health Care News
- Health Care
Truly Voluntary Medicare Will Bring Down Health Costs for All – Interviews
Publication -As Congress grapples with how to cut health care spending by $880 billion in the next budget, one move that could permanently bring down costs in both the public and private sectors is to decouple Medicare from Social Security, says Twila Brase, president, and co-founder of the Citizens Council for Health Freedom. Brase spoke with […] -
- Health Care News
Biden Admin Spurred Higher Drug Medicare Premiums, Fewer Choices
Publication -Seniors perusing the offerings during the most recent Medicare Enrollment Period saw that not only were prescription drug plan premiums higher, but their choices of plans were fewer. Data compiled by Ed Haislmaier, a health care policy analyst at The Heritage Foundation, and Joel White, the president of the Council for Affordable Health Coverage show […] -
- Health Care News
- Health Care
New Guidebook Helps Seniors Avoid Costly Medicare Mistakes
Publication -Medicare’s annual enrollment period has begun, and a nonprofit policy organization has released a first-ever guidebook to help seniors make decisions they will not regret. The Medicare How-To Guide, a 120-page PDF publication from the nonprofit Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF), helps seniors cut through the confusion and fine print of the numerous options, […] -
- Health Care News
Medicare is the Key to Fixing the Doctor Shortage – Commentary
Publication -By Mario H. Lopez Today, it can take weeks to see a doctor, and when patients do get in, appointments last about 15 minutes. The reason is simple. America is facing a shortage of doctors. Nearly 19 percent of the U.S. population is covered by Medicare. Declining reimbursement rates under Medicare are forcing many doctors to retire […] -
- Health Care News
Biden-Harris Plan Offer ‘Bribe’ to Medicare Drug Insurers
Publication -The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says it will cost taxpayers more than $25 billion to “paper over” a Medicare drug premium price jump created when the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) shifted the burden of drug price cuts to Part D insurers. The result has been a 22 percent jump in 2025 Medicare Part D premiums […] -
- Health Care News
Medicare Price Hike Becomes a Headache for Biden-Harris Administration
Publication -The pending announcement that seniors enrolled in the Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage plans will have to pay substantially higher monthly premiums has the White House scrambling to shield the cost ahead of November’s presidential election. The price hikes will be posted in late September and are expected to triple by 2025. To cushion […] -
- Health Care News
Analysis of the 2024 Medicare Trustees’ Report
Publication -Analysis of the 2024 Medicare Trustees’ Report shows the Hospital Trust Fund will reach insolvency in 2036, says CRFB. by Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget The Social Security and Medicare Trustees released their annual reports detailing the current and future financial status of the trust funds. (Our analysis of the Social Security Trustees report […] -
- Health Care News
Does Medicare Underpay Physicians?
Publication -There is a shortage of physicians in the United States. There is especially a shortage of primary care physicians willing to treat Medicare enrollees. People nearing the age of Medicare eligibility are often advised to begin searching for a primary care physician who accepts Medicare a year in advance. Based on data published in 2020, the […] -
Biden’s Medicare Advantage Cuts Are Tantamount to Throwing Grandma Over the Cliff
Opinion -Biden didn’t merely propose Medicare Advantage (MA) reforms a dozen years in the future. He cut rates from a projected 2.44 percent to 2.33 percent, despite industry predictions of a 4 to 6 percent growth rate. -
- Health Care News
To Save Medicare, Build on What Works – Commentary
Publication -By Joe Albanese (From the Washington Examiner) Politicians usually avoid proposing changes to Medicare in an election year, but the program’s rising costs and expected insolvency within the next five to 10 years will demand attention in the next presidential term. The question will be how to reduce spending while preserving benefits for seniors. The best approach is to build […] -
- Health Care News
Misunderstood, Maligned Medicare Advantage – Commentary
Publication -A missed phone call costs a Medicare Advantage plan $190 million. When does the failure to answer a phone call in 8 seconds cost the company receiving the call $190 million? When the caller is a spy working for the agency that runs Medicare and the receiving entity is a private insurance company. One Missed […] -
- Health Care News
Medicare Advantage Plans Face Payment Cuts
Publication -The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it is changing the method it uses to calculate payments to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, on January 31, potentially compounding the effects of coverage reductions in discouraging seniors from enrollment. In 2023, CMS eliminated 2,000 diagnostic codes for MA, “which meant less coverage for seniors […]
What's New
Heartland Newsletters
The Heartland Institute offers free email subscriptions to all of its newsletters and monthly public policy newspapers.
