Medicare Preventative Services
January 23, 2012
Medicare’s Preventative Services can be a very confusing maze to wade through. When am I eligible? How often can I receive each service? What is included? These are all questions you might ask. Another very useful and interactive website that helps answer a lot of these questions in My Medicare Matters.
Follow the link below to their interactive fact sheet about Medicare’s Preventative Services.
Medicare and Health Care Reform, Questions and Answers
January 16, 2012
The most common question I receive during a counseling session is “How does this health care reform thing affect my Medicare coverage?” Many people are concerned because of the propaganda they hear in the news about health care reform.
The Medicare Rights Center has put together and excellent Questions and Answers Fact Sheet that addresses many of the concerns heard from the general public.
The Myth of the $247 Medicare Part B Premium
January 13, 2012
With all of the information available to people with Medicare, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. Recently, Medicare beneficiaries have contacted the Medicare Rights Center with concerns about an e-mail circulating to the general public. This e-mail falsely claims that the Medicare Part B premium will increase to $247 in 2014 as a result of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The amount of the Part B premium is calculated each year based on health care costs from the previous year. For most individuals, the government pays 75 percent of this calculated premium, while beneficiaries are responsible for 25 percent. The aforementioned email suggests that the ACA universally and dramatically increases premiums for all Medicare beneficiaries, an indisputably false claim. In fact, one of the potential effects of the ACA, which does not alter the long-established formula used to calculate Part B premiums, may be to slow the growth rate of these premiums over time. Health reform intends to decrease fraud, waste and abuse, and drive down health care costs through delivery system reforms, such as preventing unnecessary hospital readmissions. Because the Part B premium is calculated based on health care costs, a decrease in the growth rate of these overall expenses will result in a similar slower growth rate for Part B premium costs.
One change that the ACA has implemented affects the premium amounts paid by Medicare beneficiaries who have annual incomes over $85,000. A law passed well before the ACA requires that these individuals pay a greater share of the Part B premium. The higher a beneficiary’s income, the more that individual pays in monthly premium costs. Currently, only about five percent of those with Medicare are responsible for a higher premium. The ACA builds on this existing law by freezing the current income thresholds for higher-income Medicare beneficiaries through 2019. As a result, an estimated 14 percent of people with Medicare will be responsible for a premium surcharge by that date. However, the majority of Medicare beneficiaries are still unaffected by this provision.
Medicare Part D and Health Care Reform 2012
January 9, 2012
Once again I turn to the Medicare Rigths Center, why reinvent the wheel? They have put together several very useful and easy to understand fact sheets about Health Care Reform and how it relates to your Medicare coverage.
Read Health-Reform-Doughnut-Hole-in-2012 for the scoop and how it will affect your Medicare Part D coverage in 2012.
Medicare and Employer Group Coverage
January 5, 2012
Navigating how Medicare and your Employer or Retiree Group coverage work together can be a very difficult task. Each Employer sponsored plan coordinates with Medicare in a different way. The best way to find out information is to contact your plan. The attached PowerPoint presentation can answer some of your questions on the basics of how these plans work together plus it gives you some ideas on who to contact for more information.
Frequently Asked Medicare Questions
January 1, 2012
When a person becomes eligible for Medicare many questions begin to swirl in their head. The Medicare Rights Center has put together an excellent Q & A Fact Sheets to help you find the answers to many of your questions.
Part-1-QA-General
Part-2-QA-Current-Employer-Insurance
Part-3-QA-Retiree
Part-4-QA-COBRA
Medicare and COBRA Coverage
December 29, 2011
COBRA is a federal law that allows you to keep your Group Health insurance after employment ends. Usually this coverage lasts 18 months but can last as many as 36 months. Instead of the employer paying your premiums though you must pay the bill. COBRA coverage and Medicare can be very confusing. This scenario may help you sort out this confusing issue.
Medicare Part B Special Enrollment Period
December 27, 2011
If you continue to work past age 65 or your spouse continues to work after you have reached age 65 you might qualify for the Medicare Part B Special Enrollment Period once the employment has ended. Please read the attached document carefully to find out the rules and regulations attached to this Special Enrollment Period.
What Should I Consider Before Denying Medicare Part B?
December 24, 2011
You should always consider all of your options BEFORE you decline Medicare Part B. Medicare Part B is your medical coverage (doctor visits, specialist visits, outpatient procedures, lab services, preventative services, tests, etc).
If you deny this improtant coverage when you should have taken it you may have a lapse in coverage and pay penalties when you do enroll. Check out this publication by the Medicare Rights Center for more inforamtion.
When Should I Sign Up for Medicare Part B?
December 23, 2011
Medicare-Part-B-Enrollment-Periods click on this link for a publication put together by the Medicare Rights Center. This is a helpful tool for anyone who is trying to decide when to sign up for Medicare Part B.
