Insurance agents competing to sell Medicare Supplement insurance in five states can now capitalize on rules benefiting Medicare beneficiaries. According to the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance (AAMSI), the five states include California, Illinois, Oregon, Nevada and Idaho. “Medicare insurance agents now face a daunting task of competing with the millions of dollars being spent on television ads featuring celebrity spokespeople,” explains Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance. “Survival of the independent Medicare insurance agent will depend on the ability to take advantage of…
Read MoreTag: medicare insurance
Mind the Gap: Things to Know Before Picking the Best Medicare Supplement Plan
Whether you have just turned 65, are about to turn 65, or are looking after a loved one who already has, keeping abreast of Medicare policy changes and picking the best Medicare supplement plan can seem like a daunting task. While the basic Medicare supplement plans (Plans A – N) are standardized at the federal government level, there are still many variations and nuances that occur at the state level. For example, some states may charge different rates for males than they do for females; some states won’t ask questions…
Read MoreReport suggests the end of the Medicare Advantage program
Government Accountability Office considers Medicare Advantage unsustainable A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, is calling for the end of the country’s Medicare Advantage initiative. The Advantage program provides expanded health care benefits to those participating. The report calls into question whether the program is financially sustainable for the country and suggests that current and future administrations should focus more on improving the benefits that are associated with the Affordable Care Act. Advantage program draining country resources The report notes that…
Read MorePremiums decrease and enrollment increases for Medicare Advantage
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the part of the Medicare program that provides recipients with the ability to select their own private insurance have seen a drop in their premiums by an average of 7 percent, and there has been an increase in enrollment by 10 percent. According to Kathleen Sebelius, a Health and Human Services secretary, this has been an ongoing trend for Medicare Advantage system, which helps to work against the negative forecasts that have been made by those in opposition to the health…
Read MoreWith Thanksgiving and Black Friday over, the Medicare deadline is the next big date
With the Thanksgiving turkey eaten and Black Friday’s discount-hunting madness behind them, consumers have started to use the final two weeks left for open Medicare enrollment to do their last minute insurance shopping. Senior citizens are now starting to run out of time for choosing a new Medicare prescription drug or Advantage plan if they want to alter their current coverage. The deadline for Medicare’s open enrollment has been moved to December 7 from its traditional December 31 as a result of the 2010 federal healthcare laws. The reason for…
Read MoreOver half of seniors using exchange for private Medicare plan to reevaluate in 2011 AEP
A survey that included the participation of 372 seniors who have previously bought private supplemental Medicare plans showed that 58 percent are now using the 2011Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) to rethink their insurance needs. When the seniors were asked why they were reevaluating their plans, the top three reasons were: • 45 percent wanted to make certain that they were receiving the best coverage for their needs • 19 percent had experienced an increase in premiums • 9 percent had experienced an increase in out-of-pocket expenses. Another 35 percent…
Read MoreLearning more about healthcare and open enrollment for Medicare
The Medicare open enrollment period is already well underway, as is the healthcare enrollment for people who receive health insurance from their employers and individuals who haven’t yet gone over their current coverage package for 2012 are being advised to hurry up and get started. For those individuals who haven’t yet missed their window of opportunity for changes in employer-sponsored insurance, the sooner they have a look at their current health insurance and compare it to what is available, the better, because any changes that are made by employers or…
Read More