This year’s Medicare Open Enrollment in Tucson is….. crazy. Crazy with so many people losing their plan, or losing their doctor from their plan network.
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
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…
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.
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…
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.
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…
No Cuts for 2015 Medicare Advantage
CMS has announced that payments to Medicare Advantage plans will increase by 0.4% in 2015. This is a reversal of proposed cuts that were opposed by Republicans and Democrats in Congress.
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…
What’s the future for Medicare Advantage?
The New York Times has an article about how payment cuts to Medicare Advantage plans are raising questions about the future of Medicare Advantage.
Smaller Medicare Advantage networks coming to your town?
Smaller provider networks could be in the cards for Medicare Advantage plans due to payment reductions from Medicare. Smaller networks are usually lower-cost and this may be a necessity in the future.
Medicare Advantage Cuts: Bad news or not?
The Obama administration has proposed payment cuts for Medicare Advantage plans in 2015. This could mean big changes for $0 premium plans in Arizona and around the country – or maybe not.
Cold Calls to Medicare Beneficiaries are Unethical
Cold calling Medicare beneficiaries is against Medicare rules, but this being a slow time of year for insurance agents, seniors are getting calls that might disturb and/or confuse them.
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…
Are Tucson doctors accepting new Medicare patients?
My primary care doctor is not accepting new patients, whether they are on Medicare, Medicare Advantage, or any health insurance. But he is kind of old and his Physician Assistant takes new patients – but I don’t know how much…
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…
24-Hour Hospital stay: $126,000 bill !
When you spend the night in the hospital, you would assume you had been “admitted” to the hospital – but you could be wrong.
Medicare: Colonoscopy Cost
How much will you pay for a colonoscopy?
Medicare Preventive Screening: How often can you get these tests?
Medicare now has a long list of preventive screenings that are covered at no cost to the patient. But how often can you get these preventive screening tests? The answer varies from test to test. I had a call today…
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…