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One minute last December Leslie Montgomery was a medieval warlord pillaging a nearby kingdom. The next she was a retiree drowning in a flood of confusing Medicare sales calls. The 75-year-old had been deeply immersed in her favorite free online game when a banner ad appeared warning her that she might be missing out on money from the federal government. She clicked, and within minutes, she received an avalanche of calls with health insurance quotes she had never requested. ( Walker and Gorenstein, 10/16)

Do an internet search on the Inflation Reduction Act. You’ll find several sites that mention deficit and carbon emissions reduction, investment in domestic energy production, and Medicare prescription drug negotiation. Buried somewhere in the text of the act is one change that will have an immediate impact in 2024: the elimination of the 5% coinsurance in the Catastrophic Coverage drug payment stage. Most probably have no idea what this means. Briefly: Those who take costly brand name drugs and spend about $3,300 out-of-pocket will reach Catastrophic Coverage, the fourth payment stage of a Part D drug plan. Once there, they will not pay another cent for prescription drugs in 2024. (Omdahl, 10/16)

Open enrollment for Medicare began on Sunday. But more than 30,000 Scripps Health clients who have Medicare Advantage plans are now facing a difficult choice: either get new doctors or different coverage. Scripps Health says its Scripps Coastal and Scripps Clinic Medical Groups will stop accepting Medicare Advantage plans in 2024. (Carroll, 10/16)

Figuring out the savings may not be easy. Teresa Mears, the founder and CEO of Living on the Cheap, a group of 40 bargain-hunting websites nationwide, knows how to pinch pennies. But last year, she stumbled when she switched Part D plans. “Hah! I changed and didn’t save money,” she recalls. “I only take one drug. I changed plans thinking this drug was covered, based on the info online. But it was not. I fear for people who are trying to manipulate this system when they need a lot of drugs.” (Phipps, 10/17)

In the aftermath of unwelcome but not surprising news for the health insurance industry about Medicare Advantage star ratings for next year, insurers cited stricter government standards as they look to move forward. On Friday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services revealed which Medicare Advantage plans earned four or five stars under the quality assessment program and confirmed months of anxiety among health insurers that expected lower scores—and the revenue hits that come from losing lucrative bonus payments. (Tepper, 10/16)

A research brief out of think tank Urban Institute evaluates the prospect of reducing Medicare spending by reining in excessive post-acute care rates. Right now, there are different payment structures in place for post-acute care in its different settings including skilled nursing facilities, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, long-term care hospitals and home health. (Tong, 10/16)