By Judith Graham; Kaiser Health News ~ May 18, 2017

It’s widely believed that older age is darkened by persistent loneliness. But a considerable body of research confirms this isn’t the case.

In fact, loneliness is the exception rather than the rule in later life. And when it occurs, it can be alleviated: It’s a mutable psychological state.

Only 30 percent of older adults feel lonely fairly frequently, according to data from the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project, the most definitive study of seniors’ social circumstances and their health in the U.S.

From Dr. Daniel Blumenthal; The Hill ~ May 16, 2017

After a brief respite, health insurance is back in the headlines. House Republicans have passed the latest version of “repeal and replace,” and the nation is waiting to see what the Senate will do. While the focus has been on coverage of pre-existing conditions and the fate of Medicaid expansion, one of the most important issues has been largely overlooked: how best to actually improve the health of the population.

By Mary Clare Jalonick & Kevin Freking; The Associated Press ~ May 15, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. John McCain, a former Navy pilot who at 80 has had several health setbacks, gets his coverage from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

House leaders, like Speaker Paul Ryan, get their coverage through the Affordable Care Act, as do many members of Congress.

Congress voted to include itself in the law when it passed in 2010, and a bill passed by the House last week would continue that requirement in the new version.

So how is it working for them? Depends on who you ask.

By Sydney Lupkin; Kaiser Health News ~ May 09, 2017

The Food and Drug Administration is under pressure from the Trump administration to approve drugs faster, but researchers at the Yale School of Medicine found that nearly a third of those approved from 2001 through 2010 had major safety issues years after they were widely available to patients.

Seventy-one of the 222 drugs approved in the first decade of the millennium were withdrawn, required a “black box” warning on side effects or warranted a safety announcement about new risks to the public, Yale professor Dr. Joseph Ross and his colleagues reported in JAMA on Tuesday. The study included safety actions through Feb. 28.

By Maurie Backman, TMF; USA TODAY ~ May 06, 2017

A growing number of seniors are opting to rent during their golden years. Here’s how to determine which option is best for you.

Despite the many benefits of homeownership, the U.S. rental market has seen a steady increase over the past decade and change. Between 2006 and 2014, the number of renters in the country grew to over 43%, but it’s not just younger Americans at the heart of this trend.

By Josh Barro; Business Insider ~ May 05, 2017

Last week, Vox dug into the Republican healthcare bill and found a provision that would exempt Congress and its staff from many of the bill’s effects.

This provision was bad “optics,” as they say in Washington.

But instead of taking it out — like you would usually do with a provision you aren’t wedded to and can’t defend politically

By Sean Sullivan, David Weigel and Kelsey Snell

House Republican leaders said Wednesday that they plan to bring their controversial plan to revise key parts of the Affordable Care Act to a vote on Thursday, capping weeks of fits and starts in their attempt to fulfill a signature campaign promise.

The flagging Republican effort to reshape the nation’s health-care system picked up steam Wednesday as GOP leaders tried to address concerns about people with preexisting medical conditions. But independent analysts remained skeptical that the new proposal would fully address the needs of at-risk patients who receive coverage guarantees under the Affordable Care Act, underscoring the contentious nature of the Republican effort.

By Juliet Eilperin and Amy Goldstein, Washington Post – May 4, 2017

Q: Is the bill that passed the House today intended to repeal the Affordable Care Act?
Not entirely. In the seven years since a Democratic Congress and the Obama administration pushed through the ACA, the House has taken more than 60 votes to repeal all or part of it. But today’s vote was a first-stage effort, with the bill intended — at least originally — to address only those parts of the sprawling law with budgetary implications.

From “Quora”; Forbes ~ May 04, 2017

Is the decline of physicians in private practice a net loss or gain for the US healthcare ecosystem? originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.

Answer by David Chan, MD from UCLA, Stanford Oncology Fellowship, on Quora:

From Rebecca Shanahan; The Hill ~ May 04, 2017

Medicare was created in 1966 as a promise to protect our seniors. But the security of aging Americans is increasingly threatened.

Here’s how Medicare Part D is supposed to work: seniors go to the pharmacy of their choosing, exchange their co-pay for medications, and pay a monthly premium toward a Part D insurance plan that is administered by a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM).