James E. Mathews, PhD

In April, CMS published its annual Medicare Advantage (MA) rate announcement for 2027.a For most years in recent memory, this would be a routine event, accompanied by no small amount of headshaking from the provider community. Hospitals and physicians would be perpetually perplexed at why CMS would give MA plans generous payment increases, while giving hospitals…

Readers of a certain age may   recall Sebastian Junger’s book  A Perfect Storm, which describes the last voyage of the Andrea Gail, a Massachusetts swordfishing boat. In October 1991, the boat encountered a violent storm in the North Atlantic Ocean and was lost with all hands. The storm was borne of three converging meteorological conditions: the remains of Hurricane Grace,…

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4, 2025, clearly will have profound effects on the nation’s healthcare system. But how much the legislation will affect Medicare remains to be seen. Its proponents can legitimately assert that, consistent with the President’s stated…

As the Medicare program approaches beneficiary age, it is worth taking stock of current and near-term events in Washington that will have potentially profound implications for the program’s future. In particular, it is important to acknowledge CMS’s pivotal role as the agent of the positive changes in ensuring Medicare’s continual service to the elderly and…