UnitedHealth Group (UHG) is artificially inflating risk adjustment scores of patients in its Medicare Advantage plans in order to get higher reimbursement, according to a report from Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and his staff, although the plan is disputing that claim.

While telehealth expanded under Medicare during the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicare recipients will no longer be able to use telehealth services in many cases when coverage ends on January 30.

The findings are “very depressing,” one commissioner said. Still, it’s a smaller sum than in 2025, thanks to the continued phase-in of a new risk adjustment model.

Rep. Lois Frankel said she is pushing back against a movement to add prior-authorization requirements to Medicare and to use algorithms to override doctors’ judgment in medical treatment.

While original Medicare (Parts A and B) covers a wide array of health care services after you turn 65, it doesn’t cover everything.

President Donald Trump recently announced his new “Great Healthcare Plan” which he says will lower the cost of prescription drugs, expand price transparency requirements and reduce insurance premium costs.

If you're enrolled in a high-deductible health insurance plan, then you may be eligible to contribute to a health savings account, or HSA, in 2026. HSAs allow you to make pre-tax contributions, shielding some of your paycheck from taxes. Plus, HSA funds get to grow tax-free, and withdrawals used for qualifying medical expenses are tax-free as well.

At the end of January, Medicare users are going to face a major shakeup. Starting February 1, Americans on the government-funded health insurance program are expected to feel the effects of reduced reimbursement rates for many of their routine diagnostic tests.