Feb 1, 2018

Medicare Advantage plans will get 1.8% raise in 2019

Bob Herman

One-third of seniors are in Medicare Advantage plans. Photo: Bryan Chan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The federal government wants to increase payments to privately administered Medicare plans by an average of 1.84% in 2019. Final 2019 payment rates and policies for Part D drug coverage and Medicare Advantage insurance plans, which consume about $300 billion of taxpayer funds each year, will be announced April 2.

Go deeper: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today also unveiled several other policies that will cut rates to Medicare Advantage employer plans and change how companies calculate the health of their members.

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Axios

Coronavirus updates: First case in sub-Saharan Africa confirmed

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens.

Nigeria confirmed its first novel coronavirus case in an Italian who flew to Lagos from Milan — the first known case in sub-Saharan Africa. The World Health Organization has been working to prepare Africa's health care systems to be ready for the outbreak, which is now also confirmed in Algeria and Egypt.

The big picture: COVID-19 has killed more than 2,850 people and infected over 83,700 others in some 50 countries and territories. The novel coronavirus is now affecting every continent but Antarctica, and the WHO said Wednesday the number of new cases reported outside China has exceeded those inside the country for the first time.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 54 mins ago - Health
Sara Fischer

Ad spending on 2020 primary tops $1 billion

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Spending on the 2020 presidential primary has officially surpassed the $1 billion mark, with more than half of that total coming from billionaire Michael Bloomberg, according to data from Advertising Analytics.

Why it matters: It's the most money that has been spent this early on in an election cycle in U.S. history.

Go deeperArrow2 hours ago - Politics & Policy
Dion Rabouin

The growing coronavirus recession threat

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

In just a matter of weeks, top economists and investment bank analysts have gone from expecting the coronavirus outbreak to have minimal impact on the U.S. economy to warning that an outright recession may be on the horizon.

What's happening: The spread of confirmed coronavirus cases in Europe, the Middle East and the U.S., and the speed at which they are being discovered has set the table for the outbreak to have a larger and much costlier impact.

Go deeperArrow2 hours ago - Economy & Business