For people who turn 65 in the last three months of the year, choosing a Part D plan is confusing. I am looking at Medicare.gov Part D plans and I must compare 2014 plan information with 2015.
Author: Denise
Denise Early is an independent insurance broker in Tucson, Arizona. She is interested in policy and the politics of Medicare. She enjoys telling the stories of people she meets and sees herself as an advocate for her clients. She served in the Peace Corps and has a Masters degree in International Management.
Medicare Supplement Guaranteed Issue
If your Medicare Advantage plan is canceled, you can go back to Original Medicare and get a Medicare supplement with guaranteed issue.
Insulin Costs in Medicare Advantage
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…
Small Businesses and Obamacare
NPR has an interesting story about small businesses and Obamacare in Kentucky where employers and employees ended up with better, lower-cost health insurance. Health insurance policies offered by small businesses to their employees have been notoriously bad in the past. …
Tucson Medicare Advantage Changes
Big changes are coming to Tucson Medicare Advantage plans in 2015. People enrolled in Tucson Medicare Advantage plans will be getting the news very soon.
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.
How To Get Help with Part D drug costs
People who have limited income can get help with Part D drug costs – but finding the application on the Social Security web site is not easy. There used to be a link for “Extra Help” right on the home page for…
Woman thinks she can’t afford Medicare
I was shopping on Sunday afternoon and met a woman who thinks she can’t afford Medicare. She told me she works full-time at the retail store so she can get the company health insurance. This woman is 70 years old and looks like she…
Medicare Phone Numbers for Complaints and Appeals
How do you appeal to Medicare if you have been denied coverage for a medical service? How do you lodge a complaint about a provider? The United Hospital Fund provides a list of numbers for each state on their website:…
Long Wait at Social Security
Since 2011, Social Security has lost nearly 11,000 employees, and weekly field office hours have been reduced from 35 to 27. I read about this in LifeHealthPro, a magazine for the insurance industry. The article summarizes a report on Social Security:…
Applying for Medicare: Did you change your name?
Have you changed your name after a divorce or for some other reason? That could cause some complications when you go to sign up for Medicare. Wendy is turning 65 in September and went online to sign up for Medicare. She…
Interesting Part D Study from Kaiser Family Foundation
A comprehensive Kaiser Family Foundation report analyzes key trends that have shaped the Medicare Part D marketplace since the program launched nine years ago. Some of their findings include the following: Part D plan premiums range from $12.80 per month to…
Medicare and AHCCCS Clerical Error
I wrote recently about a client who was thrilled to receive notice from AHCCCS that she qualifies for additional help for her medical costs. I told her something must have changed at AHCCCS because her income is about $60 too…
Medicare and AHCCCS: What’s going on?
The state of Arizona’s Medicaid program will pay the Medicare premium for people with income below $1,333 for an individual) or $1789 for a couple. I wrote about the details of this assistance last year: Help for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries. In…
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…
Part D: High Risk Drugs You Should Not Use
A client emailed me last week complaining about her Medicare Advantage plan. She said her doctor gave her a prescription for Zolpidem, a sleeping pill, and her Medicare Advantage plan said they won’t pay for it.
Medicare Trust Fund Solvent through 2030
Kaiser Health News reports that Medicare’s Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, which finances about half the health program for seniors and the disabled, won’t run out of money until 2030. That’s four years later than projected last year and 13 years…
Medicare is Big Business for Insurance Companies
Humana and UnitedHealthcare are the biggest players in the Medicare Advantage and Medicare supplement business – and business has been quite good for them.
Turning 65: Do you have your Medicare card?
I had a call the other day from a woman who is turning 65 and wanted to talk to me about her Medicare choices. She said she is working, but is self-employed. She turns 65 in September, just over one month away. I asked her if she has her Medicare card and she said, “Huh? What is that?”
Working Overseas: Do you need to enroll in Medicare?
Here is a re-post of an article from three years ago. I received an email from an American who was working in France for Airbus, a French company. He was turning 65 and wanted to know if he needed to…
Medicare Part D: Are you paying too much for your drug plan?
Most seniors are in the wrong Part D plan. I saw a study last year that found only 5.2% of seniors chose the most economical Part D plan available to them. Yesterday, I met a person who is a good…
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…
CNBC Medicare Advantage story uses medicareblog.org
As I read a CNBC story about Medicare Advantage, I was shocked to see my name in the first paragraph.
What is Medicare doing to address mental health issues among seniors?
20% of seniors have mental health problems and suicide is especially high among older men. Is help available for seniors?
Medicare: How much will your hospital bill be?
How much will your bill be if you are admitted to the hospital and you only have Medicare?