The Medicare Part D prescription drug plan search tool – also known as the PDP Finder – is now launched through Q1 Medicare and this stand-alone feature is now available for use. This tool gives Medicare beneficiaries such as seniors a look at all of the different Medicare Part D plans available for 2012 for their areas quickly and easily. These plans are offered along with the primary details for all drug tiers of coverage, such as the monthly premiums, “Donut Hole” coverage, the initial deductibles, and cost sharing/co-payment information.…
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An overview of Medicare plans and what they cover
Medicare health insurance is a program that is federally administered and is made available to people with certain specific forms of disability, permanent kidney failure, or people who are 65 years of age or older. There are several different types of Medicare plans, the basics of which are as follows: • Medicare Part A – provides coverage for hospital care (among institutions that accept Medicare) and has no monthly premium for its beneficiaries, as long as they have been employed and have paid FICA taxes for a minimum of a…
Read MoreStandard & Poor’s reports cost of Medicare increasing at its slowest rate in over half a decade
According to data recently released by Standard & Poor’s, over the last year, the revenue increase for hospitals resulting from Medicare patients was about one third over what had been seen from patients who are covered by some form of private health insurance. The S&P Healthcare Economic Index showed that the revenue from Medicare increased by 2.5 percent per hospital patient before June 2011, which is the slowest increase since January 2005, when S&P’s first started to monitor this income. That said, the revenue generated from patients who were covered…
Read MoreMedicare regulations may be causing shortage of cancer drugs
A month’s long shortage of cancer drugs may be the result of Medicare regulations. For several years, Medicare has provided coverage for cancer patients, allowing them to obtain treatments that they would otherwise have no access to. While Medicare offers this coverage, however, the number of cancer fighting drugs has been falling steadily. The phenomenon may be the result of a regulation within the Medicare system that dictates that doctors must purchase cancer drugs, not patients. Traditionally, patients have been responsible for purchasing their own medications as prescribed to them…
Read MoreHealthcare spending cuts will be expensive to seniors
The recent budget deal and struggles in negotiations over the national debt have handed lawmakers yet another requirement to further slash federal spending, and healthcare price controls are one of the plans being considered to help achieve that goal; forcing seniors to have to pay more for their necessary medications. These Medicare Part D program prescription drug price controls aren’t a new idea, but they have been brought back into the spotlight by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif) and Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), who are the most recent to advocate the…
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