Medicare, the extremely popular health insurance plan for aged and disabled Americans seems to be withering. The reason is the struggle between Republicans and Democrats. Republicans are all for privatized Medicare and Democrats want it as a universal public program.

This struggle began in the Gingrich Congress in 1995. Today it still exists. Financially Medicare is in a much worse position than Social Security. According to the trustees, Medicare should be the focus of the 2008 campaigns rather than Social security.

continue reading "Is Medicare Ill?"

According to the Durable Medical Equipment Industry, Anti-Fraud measures are desperately required for Medicare. It seems that Medicare has not used it’s authority to combat fraud and abuse effectively enough.

The Medicare budget is $400 million and the medical equipment portion of it is less than two percent. It is also the slowest growing sectors. Americans seem to choose home based care nursing homes and institutional care.

continue reading "Anti-Fraud Measures Urgently Needed For Medicare"

According to a study, out of pocket costs for beneficiaries were lowered by 17% in 2006 by Medicare Prescription Drug Benefits. This works out to about $9 per month. The study was published on the Annals of Internal Medicine Website.

Various comparisions were made in the study. Individuals enrolled in Part D were compared with those who did not sign up. An additional 14 days worth of medicine were saved. This also amounted to a 19% increase in prescription drug use. It seems that increased prescription drug usage could lead to less doctoral visits and further decrease in costs.

continue reading "Study Shows Medicare Prescription Drug Benefits Helped Subscribers"

When you reach the age of 60 to 70, you know that your body will become weaker and every single day, you will find it hard to do your daily activities. So, when the time comes that you can no longer care for yourself, you should ask yourself who will take care of you, especially if you don’t have anyone to look out for your needs. Of course, the obvious answer to this question is by entering a nursing home facility. Here, you will be able to receive the proper care in order to keep your body healthy and also make your life a little easier.

However, who will be able to pay for the bills you incur during your stay in the nursing home facility? The answer to this question is Medicare.

Medicare is basically a health insurance provider designed for the elderly and the disabled.

Medicare will be able to pay some of the cost that you incur in the nursing home facility. It is important to remember that in order to be covered, you should receive the services of a Medicare-certified nursing home facility.

The only problem with Medicare is that it will only cover you for a limited amount of time during your stay in the nursing home facility. However, it will be able to cover your prescription medication as well as DMEs or durable medical equipments.

The rest of the expenses will be paid by you after the time allowable by Medicare passes. The coverage will also vary from state to state. These are the things that you need to remember about Medicare and nursing home care.

Medicare is a health insurance for people over the age of 65 and also for people who are disabled. With Medicare, most of the healthcare services will be covered. For 2008, Medicare announces that it will increase its premiums for Part B by about 3.1 percent. Although this don’t sound much for most people, you need to imagine what it would be like for seniors who are already facing high payments on out of pocket costs, steadily rising cost of prescription drugs, co-payments, and also what they pay for in premiums on Medigap or Medicare Supplement Insurance.

Just imagine, just in the year 2000, the premium for Medicare Part B was only around 45 dollars. In 2008, you should expect to pay around 96 dollars for the monthly premiums. For seniors, this can easily outpace their cost of living adjustments.

A lot of people blame this increase due to the privatization of Medicare and also because of unchecked national healthcare costs. Although private insurers promised that they would be able to provide cheaper monthly premiums, what happened was it steadily increased over the years along with the out of pocket costs and prescription drug costs.

These are the things that you should expect in year 2008. If you are on Medicare, you might as well prepare for the premium increase as not preparing for it will leave you with higher expenses and unstable household budget.

In 2008, expect the Medicare Part B premium to increase and you should be well prepared for it.

Those people who have altered their Medicare coverage for 2008 should not have a problem with their benifits according to the CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services).

Throughout the fall open enrollment season care has been taken to see that beneficiaries compare and prepare plan choices and make the correct decision.

continue reading "Smooth 2008 Transition Expected For People Enrolled in Medicare"

The broader Medicare improvement package has been subject to debate and there has hardly been a consensus on it. According to David Sloane, AARP Director of Government Relations, “the short term package coming before senate this week is the path of least resistance and is woefully inadequate.

According to David Sloane, by enacting this legislation millions of Medicare beneficiaries recieve no additional protection from paying more each month. The advantages gained by beneficiaries are only temporary and if payment cuts occur, in the long run there could be problems finding a physician.

continue reading "Woefully Inadequate Medicare Bill According to AARP"

If low income, elderly New Yorkers are given Medicare Subsidy, the state could save millions. Specifically $184 million could be saved every year on prescription drug spending for EPIC by arranging for lower income people with EPIC to get Extra Help – a federal subsidy that enables lower income people to pay for Part D of Medicare.

With the help of Medicare Part D there is a great chance to save millions of dollars on prescription drugs as well as help low income New Yorkers. This is a win-win situation according to Robert Hayes, president of the Medicare Rights Center.

continue reading "Millions Could Be Saved On Prescription Drugs…"

First of all, you need to know that hospice care is a special type of care provided to people or patients with a disease that can never be cured. This particular care is non curative and it is implemented for people with terminal illness to improve the quality of their lives at the face of death.

As mentioned before, hospice care is not a treatment for the disease a patient has but it is a care that will ease their suffering and provided them with dignified death.

Medicare supports hospice care and is in fact part of the Medicare Hospital Insurance or under the Part A benefit.

continue reading "Medicare Hospice: What Is Covered With Medicare Hospice Care"

The Medicare payment cut that was scheduled and that would result in lower Medicare payments to doctors is not likely to happen. A health insurance program for children is to be extended by the US Senate.

If the house clears it and president Bush sanctions it with his signature, many US health insurance companies would not have to bear cuts to Medicare Advantage, the payment of which has been $76.3 billion in this year. This information is based on a Senate Finance Committee statement.

continue reading "Medicare Plan approved By Senate"

In order to meet health plan needs as well as prescription drug coverage needs through 2008, Medicare beneficiaries should act now. CMS – the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services advises people to review their current health care coverage and to see if it is the best plan for their needs in 2008.

If any beneficiaries want to enroll for the first time or change coverage, this should be done ASAP for a stress free 2008. Open enrollment ends on Dec 31st. Every year open enrollment period is from Nov 15 through the end of the year.

continue reading "Medicare – Act Now To Secure 2008"

Senior citizens can sign up for Medicare or switch to Medicare Supplement or Medicare Advantage Plans uptil December 31. Open Enrollment happens each year between November 15 and December 31. During this period, seniors can switch plans.

The other time when seniors can switch plans is at the age of 65 when they become eligible for Medicare for the first time. There is an option to choose straight Medicare or from among Medicare’s managed plans.

continue reading "Medicare Open Enrollment Till Dec 31"

A number of insurance options are available to people in Arizona. It is not hard to find a good insurance plan here. However, you must know certain things as a prerequisite to good Arizona Health Insurance.

According to some studies, eighty five percent of Americans have proper insurance. This is a good thing since health insurance is so necessary. If you fall sick without health insurance, you might face a scenario where you have huge bills and nowhere to pay them from. This is why health insurance is so necessary.

continue reading "Arizona Health Insurance Types"

Senior citizen’s needs are not well met by the home health care benefits available today. One third of men and one half of women of 65 years of age will be sent to a nursing home in the remainder of theri days. Older citizens have a greater chance of going to a nursing home.

Skilled medical care needs to be provided to people being discharged from hospital. This is much cheaper in a nursing home rather than one on one care at home. Many seniors would rather recover at home if they could afford it.

continue reading "The Advantages of Senior Home Care"

Medical Insurance is the norm in a world of fixed incomes and medical costs that can crop up quite suddenly. There are a number of medical insurance programs available. Some will be closer to your needs than others.

Not more than 14 plans can be offered by a supplemental insurance provider. You should carefully consider these plans to determine which is the best one for you.

continue reading "Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans – What You Should Know"