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 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 ArticleWhy Democrats Hate Medicare Advantage
A 2009 report from Congress highlighted the reasons why Democrats hate Medicare Advantage. The study of Medicare Advantage plans’ revenues and expenses from 2005 to 2008 found that the average Medicare...
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...
View ArticleMedicare Beneficiaries Can Lodge Complaints Over Care
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule today that would require most Medicare-participating providers and suppliers to give Medicare beneficiaries written notice...
View ArticleMedicare Advantage and HR 3200
House bill 3200 does not stipulate “death panels” as some people have asserted. But the bill does have a number of sections that would affect Medicare Advantage plans in 2011. Here are some examples...
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 HMO’s in 1996: a model for savings
Tucson H.M.O.’s May Offer Model for Medicare’s Future Excerpts from a New York Times article from March 26, 1996 Partners for Seniors has expanded its pharmacy benefit!” a newspaper ad proclaims to...
View ArticleThe Business of Medicare: Humana Medicare Advantage Enrollment Rose 19%
Health Care reform has not slowed down insurance company Humana, a major player in the Medicare Advantage market. Humana’s first-quarter net income (profit) was $258.8 million, compared with $205.7...
View ArticleDid You Know This About Medicare?
Saul Friedman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, often writes about Medicare. I’ve provided excerpts here from a recent piece of his in which he introduces some information that was news to me....
View ArticleMedicare and Healthcare Reform
I was talking to a client this weekend and she is clearly not a fan of “Obamacare”, as she called it. As we talked, she raised several of her concerns about the future of Medicare and health care in...
View ArticleTalking to the Medicare Boss
On Friday I participated in a conference call with the Head of CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid) and I got to ask a question as well as offer some advice about the Medicare.gov Plan Finder....
View ArticleMedicare Will Reward Arizona Advantage Plans
Good news for Medicare Advantage plans in Arizona! In what Kaiser Health News called a “surprising move”, the Obama administration “will extend special bonus payments meant to reward top-performing...
View ArticleHealth Care Reform and Medicare in 2011
Republicans want to repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act which impacts a broad range of medical and health insurance issues. Many of the reforms are actually quite popular with the public. Here are...
View ArticleMedicare is too generous. Seniors take advantage.
Medicare does not require seniors to pay enough of their health care costs. Seniors go to the doctor too much. Medicare supplement insurance makes these problems worse and contributes to...
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