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…
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Medicare issues that baby boomers should understand
An eHealth Inc. subsidiary, PlanPrescriber, has issued its “Top 6 List”, which is a report that contains issues that individuals who are considering the Medicare Supplement plan – especially baby boomers – will want to think about before the end of the 2012 Medicare Annual Enrollment Period. This period started on October 15, 2011, and will continue until December 7, 2011. In the majority of circumstances, beneficiaries of Medicare who also have a supplement plan and want to alter their prescription drug coverage in Part D for next year will…
Read MoreAn 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 MoreUnitedHealth launched new initiative to make hearing aids available to more Americans
The UnitedHealth Group, one of the largest health insurance companies in the U.S., has announced that it will begin offering hearing aids as part of its myriad of health care products. The company has introduced four different kinds of hearing aids each made by IntriCon Corp., a manufacturer of small medical devices. UnitedHealth has begun offering hearing aids as part of a way to promote Medicare enrollment. The company will be offering hearing aids for eligible Medicare plan members at retail prices, which will be lower than prices found outside…
Read MoreAnswers you should know to the FAQ’s about Medicare
Though it may feel overwhelming when you are faced with the most common questions to Medicare and Medicare Supplement Insurance, in truth, it doesn’t take hours of research to know what options are available to you. The most commonly asked question is regarding the difference between Medicare Advantage (MA) Plans, and the Original Medicare. The fact is that there are a number of important differences between them. The original plan is government Medicare, whereas MA is private Medicare. The two plans involve comparable out-of-pocket expenses. An MA plan is essentially…
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…
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