Thousands of Washington state Medicare users could soon have claims denied by AI Starting Jan. 1, traditional Medicare recipients in Washington state will face a new hurdle to get certain procedures covered — private AI companies that get paid based on how many claims they deny. Stephen Howie
How will the government shutdown hit Washington state? It depends As Washington state braces for the first shutdown since 2019 — the longest in history at 35 days — a number of state and federal governments announced their operations would be unaffected. But at some agencies, impacts are still a question-mark — particularly the longer the shutdown lasts. Scott Greenstone
The clock is ticking to fix Social Security as retirees face automatic cut in 9 years Social Security's finances have improved slightly in the last year. But the popular retirement program still faces big challenges including the threat of automatic benefit cuts in less than a decade. Scott Horsley
What is hospice care? 6 myths about this end-of-life option Recently ex-President Jimmy Carter went into hospice, which often is for patients in the last stages of incurable diseases. Contrary to popular belief, starting hospice doesn't mean giving up on life. Diba Mohtasham
Here are the first 10 drugs that Medicare will target for price cuts The government will negotiate new prices for the commonly prescribed drugs, but the cuts won't take effect until 2026. In the meantime, drugmakers are fighting the negotiations with lawsuits. Sydney Lupkin
Alzheimer's drug Leqembi gets full FDA approval. Medicare coverage will likely follow The first drug found to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease has been granted full approval by the Food and Drug Administration. Jon Hamilton
78 people face charges for $2.5 billion in attempted health care fraud, DOJ says At least $1.1 billion was actually paid out in these schemes targeting elderly patients, high-risk and low-income pregnant women and HIV patients. Jaclyn Diaz
Social Security is now expected to run short of cash by 2033 Policymakers will need to patch the Social Security program by 2033 to avoid draconian cuts in benefits, a year earlier than had been predicted. A trust fund for Medicare will run out of cash by 2031. Scott Horsley
Why Medicare is suddenly under debate again As the White House and Republicans in Congress gear up for negotiations over the U.S. debt ceiling, how to pay for senior health care could be a sticking point, even if cuts are "off the table." Gurjit Kaur
Biden says his budget plan would extend Medicare to 2050 without adding to the deficit President Biden is proposing to raise taxes on people who make more than $400,000 per year to make sure there's enough money for Medicare. Deepa Shivaram
