The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (OEP) is back – but it’s kind of a secret. The Medicare Advantage OEP is for people already enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans and it allows them to drop their plan to return to…
Tag: medicare agent tucson
Medigap Plans for People under 65
Are Medigap plans for people under 65 available in Arizona? Medigap plans for people under 65 are not available in Arizona and 19 other states. An article on kff.org looks at which states require insurance companies to sell Medigap plans…
Who Gets Hurt if We Raise Medicare Age to 67.
Originally posted on April 21, 2010 in response to a proposal to raise Medicare age for eligibility: I hit the trifecta this week by meeting three women who will turn 65 in July. All three of them told me they…
EMPLOYER HEALTH INSURANCE AND MEDICARE
If you are eligible for Medicare and still working, or if you have employer health insurance through your spouse, there are some rules you need to know. If you are 65 and still working – and your employer has fewer…
Medicare and HSA
How can a health savings account be used with Medicare? A client asked me this question recently. She is self-employed. She is turning 65 in July, and she has $10,000 in a health savings account (HSA). Irene enrolled in a…
The Story of Medicare
Written and produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation, The Story of Medicare: A Timeline serves as a visual timeline of Medicare’s history, including the debate that led to its creation in 1965 and subsequent changes.
Retiree Health Plans Moving to Medicare Advantage
Retiree health benefits are pretty rare these days, but I have two friends and two relatives who worked for big companies that offer benefits to supplement Medicare for their retirees. These people are in their 70’s and 80’s and have each been moved from Medicare to Medicare Advantage plans – and not one of them understood what that meant.
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:…
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 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…
Most Tucson Hospitals Charge Medicare Less Than National Average
Medicare has released information on how much hospitals across the country charge for the most common surgeries. Here are the results for Tucson: Tucson Medical Center: .8 of the national average charge St Joseph Hospital: 1.0 of the national average…
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 More Limits on Physical Therapy
A New York Times articles says Medicare has ended limits on how much physical therapy a person can receive. The rules used to be that if a person receiving physical therapy was not improving, Medicare would no longer pay for…
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.
Help For Part D Drug Costs
Help for Part D drug costs is a different program from the Medicare Savings Program that helps people with Medicare costs. Help for drug costs can be applied for at SSA.gov, while the Medicare Savings Program must be applied for through a state Medicaid office or website.
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.
Help For Low-Income Seniors in Jeopardy
Low-Income seniors will lose Medicare help they receive due to an error of omission in Washington – even though both political parties think the financial assistance program should continue.
Obamacare: Medicaid Expansion does not apply to people on Medicare.
Medicaid is being expanded for people with incomes up to 133% of the federal poverty level. But this expansion does not apply to people who have Medicare.
Part D: Will your premium increase in 2014?
One Part D plan is increasing its premium from $25.90 in 2013 to $53 in 2014. That is outrageous! The plan is First Health Part D Value, and it has been a good deal in 2013 because it has no…
Obamacare and Medicare: Confusion
I received an interesting press release this morning that seems worth sharing. New research finds many seniors wrongly think public health insurance exchanges are replacing Medicare plans. ST. LOUIS, September 17, 2013 – As the nation approaches open enrollment for new public…
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…
Medicare Advantage Changes Coming for 2014
Changes are coming to Medicare Advantage plans. I’ve been attending meetings for independent brokers who represent Medicare Advantage plans in Southern Arizona and my head is spinning with news of changes big and small. I need to contact my clients…
Annual Notice of Change coming soon. Pay attention!
Everyone enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan or a Part D plan will be receiving, by the end of September, a package of information called the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). The ANOC is full of details you don’t care…
Turning 65 this fall? Hold off on enrolling in Part D.
I’ve been talking to a number of people who are turning 65 in November and December. Most of them want to get a Medicare supplement and then a stand-alone Part D plan. But I’m not sure what Part D plan…
Working Past 65: Delayed Medicare Enrollment
People can delay enrollment in Medicare Part B if they are working beyond their 65th birthday or are covered by their spouse’s employer health insurance.