Enrollment in Medicare Advantage high in some states
September 2009: If Medicare Advantage plans impose higher premiums and higher co-payments for servcies, over 10 million Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in these plans will be affected. In some states,...
View ArticleHumana accused of scare tactics by CMS
From the Fierce Healthcare Newsletter (October 2009): CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid) has launched an investigation of Humana after questions were raised over letters it sent to its...
View ArticleMedicare Advantage cuts according to AHIP
October 2009: America’s Health Insurance Plans released the following statement at the end of September, 2009 regarding the impact of proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage: FACT: The impact of proposed...
View ArticleNot all Medicare Advantage plans are bad
October 2009: Opponents of Medicare Advantage have a mantra that says private Medicare plans receive fourteen percent more money per enrollee than is spent on the average Medicare beneficiary....
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Medicare Supplements cost Medicare more
A New York Times article (10/15/2009) reported that “Congress may cut back on the current 100 percent coverage of medical bills for people who wait to buy their first Medigap policy….The change is...
View ArticleFree Healthcare for seniors….in Florida
November 2009: The debate continues over Medicare Advantage and whether or not private Medicare plans are a good thing for seniors and/or Medicare. Plan information is now available on the...
View ArticleHealth Care Reform Law and Medicare
Impact on Medicare Final Health Reform Law (Senate Bill and Reconciliation) * Prescription Drugs Requires 50 percent discount on brand-name drugs in the doughnut hole, starting in 2011.Phases out the...
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Health Care Reform Law and Part D
March 2010: All the delays in passing the health care reform bill will also delay positive changes to Part D coverage. Seniors were supposed to get relief this year, but it appears that people who fall...
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Medicare Independent Payment Advisory Board
In the list of provisions included in the health care reform bills, it looks like the most important element is the Independent Payment Advisory Board, which will have the ability to set policy for...
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Medicare Advantage: No Cuts in Election Year
Medicare Advantage plans will not face big payment cuts until 2012. Under the health care reform bill, Advantage plans will get the same payments in 2011 as they received in 2010. Medicare Advantage...
View ArticleMedicare Advantage Under Attack?
MEDICARE ADVANTAGE UNDER ATTACK When asked how Medicare can cut costs, President Obama has a standard response, and he uses it every time the question is asked. He says overpayments to Medicare...
View ArticleAHIP Report: High Out-of-Network billing
A May 2009 survey of America’s Health Insurance Plan (AHIP) members collected data on various out-of-network physician billed charge amounts for claims submitted in 2008. The survey results in Arizona...
View ArticleMedicare Advantage Under Attack?
Cuts in payments to the private insurance companies running Medicare Advantage plans will start in 2010. Medicare Advantage enrollees will have to wait until October to learn how their plan benefits...
View ArticleEnrollment in Medicare Advantage high in some states
If Medicare Advantage plans impose higher premiums and higher co-payments for servcies, over 10 million people enrolled in these plans will be affected. In some states the numbers are quite high. The...
View ArticleMedicare Advantage cuts according to AHIP
October 2009: America’s Health Insurance Plans released the following statement at the end of September, 2009 regarding the impact of proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage: FACT: The impact of proposed...
View ArticleMedicare Supplements cost Medicare more
A study of Medicare claims shows that seniors with a Plan F Medicare Supplement use more health care services than those who have co-payments. The post Medicare Supplements cost Medicare more appeared...
View ArticleFree Healthcare for seniors….in Florida
Dade County, Florida has 81 Medicare Advantage plans and most of the HMO plans offer seniors practically-free healthcare. $0 premium; $0 co-pay for hospitalization; $0 to see doctors. At the same time,...
View ArticleHealth Care Reform Law and Medicare
The Health Care Reform Law will affect Medicare in many ways. Cuts to Medicare Advantage plans and increases for primary care doctors are just some of the changes. The list is from The Medicare Rights...
View ArticleHealth Care Reform Law and Part D
All the delays in passing the health care reform bill will also delay positive changes to Part D coverage. Seniors were supposed to get relief this year, but it appears that people who fall into the...
View ArticleMedicare Independent Payment Advisory Board
In the long list of provisions in the health care reform law that will affect Medicare, it looks like the most important element is the Independent Payment Advisory Board. This appointed board will...
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