AHIP Re-Certification Test for Agents
Independent agents selling Medicare Advantage plans must re-certify with each insurance company they wish to represent this fall. Agents can take the Medicare test offered by AHIP and have that test...
View ArticleMedicare Advantage and HR 3200
House bill 3200 does not stipulate “death panels” as some people have asserted. But the bill does have a number of sections that would affect Medicare Advantage plans in 2011. Here are some examples...
View ArticleWhy Democrats Hate Medicare Advantage
A 2009 report from Congress highlighted the reasons why Democrats hate Medicare Advantage. The study of Medicare Advantage plans’ revenues and expenses from 2005 to 2008 found that the average Medicare...
View ArticleHealth Care Reform Law and Medicare
Impact on Medicare Final Health Reform Law (Senate Bill and Reconciliation) * Prescription Drugs Requires 50 percent discount on brand-name drugs in the doughnut hole, starting in 2011.Phases out the...
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Health Care Reform Law and Part D
March 2010: All the delays in passing the health care reform bill will also delay positive changes to Part D coverage. Seniors were supposed to get relief this year, but it appears that people who fall...
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Medicare Independent Payment Advisory Board
In the list of provisions included in the health care reform bills, it looks like the most important element is the Independent Payment Advisory Board, which will have the ability to set policy for...
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Medicare Advantage: No Cuts in Election Year
Medicare Advantage plans will not face big payment cuts until 2012. Under the health care reform bill, Advantage plans will get the same payments in 2011 as they received in 2010. Medicare Advantage...
View ArticleMedicare and the Budget
Kaiser Family Foundation (kff.org) has lots of information on Medicare and health care in general. It’s a great place to find data and analysis on Medicare, Medicaid, and health care reform. Here is...
View ArticleWhat’s in Medicare’s future?
Here is a list of changes to Medicare that have been proposed by various interest groups. By November, the “supercommittee” working on deficit reduction will let us know how they think Medicare should...
View ArticleClear Cut Choices for Medicare’s Future
A recent New York Time’s editorial highlighted the stark differences between the Republicans’ plans for Medicare and those of the Obama Administration. The editorial said: “The Democratic approach is...
View ArticleMedicare, Customer Satisfaction, and Hospital Bills
Kaiser Health News reported on Medicare’s plans to change the way it pays hospitals. Here are some excerpts from the story. Medicare took its broadest step yet in moving away from its traditional...
View ArticleThe Future of Medicare: Accountable Care Organizations
Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) will change the way medical services are paid for by Medicare, and they could possibly deliver savings of 40% from the existing fee-for-service Medicare payment...
View ArticleMedicare is too generous. Seniors take advantage.
Medicare does not require seniors to pay enough of their health care costs. Seniors go to the doctor too much. Medicare supplement insurance makes these problems worse and contributes to...
View ArticleChanges to Medigap coming?
The never-ending discussions on reducing government spending are targeting Medicare. Seniors must pay more for their medical care, or they will use the health care system too much. Several plans have...
View ArticleThe future of Medicare: A surcharge if you buy Medigap coverage
People who buy a Medicare supplement to fill the gaps in Medicare (also known as Medigap insurance) go to the doctor too much. Therefore, people who buy Medigap insurance should pay a surcharge to...
View ArticleMedicare Costs: How much can seniors afford to pay?
Can seniors afford to pay more of their health care costs? Here is some interesting information from the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare: Going forward, Medicare...
View ArticleMake Medicare better, not worse
Medicare will undoubtedly be a big issue in the upcoming election, and proposals from both Republicans and Democrats include cutting benefits or pushing more costs onto seniors and disabled people....
View ArticleThe future of Medicare: Ryancare?
Yesterday, I was talking with a client who has a Medicare supplement Plan F and a stand-alone Part D plan. Kathy was telling me how tough things are financially now that her husband, who is 70, got...
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