The average monthly premium for privately-run Medicare plans will fall slightly to $17.00 next year, down from the current average of $18.23, federal officials said Friday.
Why it matters: Despite insurers' warnings of benefit cuts, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services expects Medicare Advantage enrollees' benefits and access to coverage to remain stable in 2025, based on plan bids submitted to the federal agency.
The CEO of WeightWatchers is abruptly out of a job amid growing uncertainty about the company's future following its pivot under her leadership to embracing weight-loss drugs.
NFL legend Tom Brady is partnering with medical device company Abbott and universities in the Big Ten conference to boost blood donations.
Why it matters: Thirteen of the 19 community blood centers in the Midwest (where most Big Ten schools are located) have less than two days of blood supply.
Relieving patients of medical debt is en vogue around the country, but preventing it from accumulating in the first place is much harder because it requires addressing some of the U.S. health system's fundamental problems.
Why it matters: Medical debt is ultimately the result of high U.S. health care prices and the choices made to manage them, including by insurers' use of deductibles and other out-of-pocket cost sharing.
Nearly half of Americans reported feeling lonely at least sometimes in the latest vibe check from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Why it matters: Feelings of isolation and loneliness are a real public health threat — so much so that Surgeon General Vivek Murthy last year issued an advisory on the matter.
