Medicare recipients now face new hurdles in getting their care covered -- but only in a few states. Retirees who are 65 and over can choose between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage programs. Traditionally, one big benefit of traditional Medicare has been that prior authorizations are very rarely required. This makes it easier for patients to get the care they need, since their insurance...
Medicare recipients now face new hurdles in getting their care covered -- but only in a few states. Retirees who are 65 and over can choose between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage programs. Traditionally, one big benefit of traditional Medicare has been that prior authorizations are very rarely required. This makes it easier for patients to get the care they need, since their insurance company does not have to approve it first. Now, however, a new pilot program is launching in six states that will necessitate prior approval for 17 covered services. This program could make it harder for retirees in these six states to get the medical help they want. Medicare recipients in these six states face new obstacles before getting care The new preapproval requirements will affect Medicare beneficiaries in the following six states: New Jersey Ohio Oklahoma Texas Arizona Washington There are around 6.4 million Americans enrolled in traditional Medicare in these locations. They are now part of a pilot program that uses artificial intelligence to determine if they can get certain kinds of care paid for. The program is called the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) model. It is a major change that makes traditional Medicare much more like Medicare Advantage, which is a private alternative that relies much more on pre-authorizations. What medical services does Medicare now need to pre-authorize? The pilot program specifically requires pre-authorization for 17 different medical procedures. The services that are now subject to pre-authorization requirements include: Arthroscopic lavage and arthroscopic debridement for the knees of osteoarthritis Bioengineered skin substitutes applied to chronic non-healing wounds on the lower limbs Cervical fusion surgery Deep brain stimulation to treat essential tremor and Parkinson's disease Electrical nerve stimulators Epidural steroid injections, except facet joint injections, which are used for pain management Hypogl...
Israel to reopen Gaza crossing after search for last dead hostage's body ends 28 minutes ago Share Save David Gritten Share Save EPA The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt has been mostly closed since May 2024 (file photo) Israel says it has agreed to reopen the Gaza Strip's key border crossing with Egypt only after an operation to retrieve the body of the last remaining Israeli hostage in the ...
Israel to reopen Gaza crossing after search for last dead hostage's body ends 28 minutes ago Share Save David Gritten Share Save EPA The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt has been mostly closed since May 2024 (file photo) Israel says it has agreed to reopen the Gaza Strip's key border crossing with Egypt only after an operation to retrieve the body of the last remaining Israeli hostage in the territory is complete. The Rafah crossing has been mostly closed since May 2024, when the Palestinian side was seized by Israeli forces. It was meant to have reopened during the first stage of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which began in October. However, the Israeli government has made that conditional on Hamas making every effort to return the body of the last hostage, police officer Master Sgt Ran Gvili. On Sunday, Israel's military said it had begun a new search for his remains in northern Gaza. Israeli media quoted military officials as saying the operation was taking place at a cemetery in Gaza City and that it could last several days. It comes as US and other mediators continue to press both sides to take the next steps to advance President Donald Trump's peace plan. On Sunday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced that Israel had "agreed to a limited reopening of the Rafah crossing for pedestrian passage only, subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism". The Israeli military was "currently conducting a focused operation to exhaust all of the intelligence that has been gathered in the effort to locate and return" the remains of Ran Gvili, a statement said. "Upon completion of this operation, and in accordance with what has been agreed upon with the US, Israel will open the Rafah crossing," it added. Earlier, the Israeli military said troops had "begun a targeted operation in the area of the Yellow Line in the northern Gaza Strip" to retrieve Gvili's body. The Yellow Line demarcates the territory still controlled by Israeli f...
Key Points VICI Properties pays a high-yielding dividend. The REIT backs its payout with stable cash flows. It has a lot of growth ahead. 10 stocks we like better than Vici Properties › VICI Properties' (NYSE: VICI) share price has slumped over the past few months, falling by more than 15% from its recent peak. That has pushed its stock price down toward $25, while driving its dividend yield up ov...
Key Points VICI Properties pays a high-yielding dividend. The REIT backs its payout with stable cash flows. It has a lot of growth ahead. 10 stocks we like better than Vici Properties › VICI Properties' (NYSE: VICI) share price has slumped over the past few months, falling by more than 15% from its recent peak. That has pushed its stock price down toward $25, while driving its dividend yield up over 6%, well above the S&P 500's average (1.2%). That high-yielding passive income stream could be your ticket to financial freedom. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » A stable and growing dividend VICI Properties owns a growing portfolio of experiential real estate (e.g., casinos, bowling entertainment centers, and sports and entertainment complexes). It leases these properties to operating companies under long-term, triple-net (NNN) leases. Those rental agreements provide it with steadily rising cash flows as a growing percentage escalates rents with inflation (46% this year, increasing to 90% in 2035). The real estate investment trust (REIT) pays out about 75% of its stable cash flow in dividends, retaining the rest to reinvest in additional income-producing experiential real estate. The REIT buys properties in sale-leaseback transactions (it recently secured a $1.2 billion deal to acquire seven gaming properties), invests in real estate-backed loans, and provides funding to existing tenants to enhance their properties. Along with rent growth, these new investments help grow VICI's cash flow to support its dividend. The company has raised its dividend for eight straight years (every year since its formation). It has grown its payout at a 6.6% compound annual rate during that time frame, much faster than the 2.3% average of other REITs focused on investing in NNN real estate during that period. With a massive total addressable market opportunity (over $400 billion for U.S. g...