Tag: medicare advantage tucson

Medicare Advantage Network Chaos

As a broker, I think there is Medicare Advantage network chaos in Tucson.  My head is spinning trying to remember which doctors are no longer with which plans.  But my clients don’t seem very concerned about their Medicare Advantage plan being cancelled,…

Insulin Costs in Medicare Advantage

Insulin prices

The cost of insulin varies widely from one Medicare Advantage plan to another. I checked out all the Medicare Advantage plans in Pima County and how they cover insulin and pills for glucose control…… and I was shocked at what I found!

Tucson Medicare Advantage Cancellations

This will be a hectic Open Enrollment Period (OEP) because there will be several Tucson Medicare Advantage cancellations. Health Net and SCAN are cancelling their Medicare Advantage special needs plans that focus on people with diabetes and heart disease.  These…

Medicare Advantage in Tucson

46 percent of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage in Tucson, AZ. Tucson has a competitive market with 7 companies offering a total of 17 Advantage plans in 2014.

Medicare Advantage Network Law Proposed

Medicare Advantage enrollees in Florida and Connecticut have been faced with losing their doctors or local hospital when their Advantage plan cut its network.   Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut is proposing a Medicare Advantage Participant Bill of Rights Act that…

Hospitals Dropped from Medicare Advantage Networks

Health News Florida has an interesting story about a dispute between Humana’s Medicare Advantage plans and a Miami Hospital and doctor network.  Medicare Advantage plans must control their costs, and when a doctor group or hospital requires payments that are…

Medicare Advantage Star Ratings: Who cares?

Seniors do not care about the Medicare Advantage and Part D star ratings.  This is the finding of  focus group research carried out by the Kaiser Family Foundation last fall. AIS Health has a good article on the report and…

Doctors Are Not Dropping Medicare

Don’t believe the rumors about doctors no longer taking Medicare patients. The numbers don’t lie.  Here are some infographics from the Kaiser Family Foundation that show the reality.   Here is a map of the percentage of doctors in each…

Part D Late-Enrollment Penalty

Part D is voluntary, but a penalty is assessed if a person does not enroll when they first get their Medicare. If a person turns 65 and waits five years to enroll in a Part D plan, she will pay a 50% premium penalty.

Medicare Advantage Winners and Losers

I checked the Medicare Advantage enrollment numbers for Pima County after the most recent Open Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7, 2013) to see how each of the plans did with their enrollments. Did some companies lose members? Did some companies gain? Were there any big winners and losers?

Working Past 65 and Medicare Part B

In the last few months, I’ve helped four or five people who continued working after they turned 65.  Some had kept their employer health insurance while others had enrolled in Medicare. They all had questions, and the answers depended on…

New Medicare Advantage Plans in 2014

Is Obmacare killing Medicare Advantage?  Does Medicare Advantage have a future? Despite politicians’ predictions of gloom and doom for Medicare Advantage, Arizona will have several new plans in 2014. I was going to list the new companies coming to Pima…

Should you enroll in Medicare Part D?

If you are turning 65 and enrolling in Medicare, you still have some decisions to make.  Will you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan?  Or will you stay with Original Medicare and get a Medicare supplement to fill the gaps…

What home health services does Medicare cover?

An article by David Sayen, Medicare Regional Administrator: Medicare covers a variety of heath care services that you can receive in the comfort and privacy of your home. These include intermittent skilled nursing care, physical therapy, speech-language pathology services, and…