Medicare & Medicaid News
Ideas on Cutting Cost of Medicare Released by
Medicare Rights Center
Medicare advocate also unveils updated fact sheets on
Medicare deficit reduction proposals
May 20, 2013 - The Medicare Rights Center, New
York, recently released its latest fact sheet in a series on ways to
reduce the Medicare deficit. The latest resource, “Build
on What Works: Medicare Cost Savers,” outlines proposals to
eliminate wasteful spending in Medicare and promote the delivery of high
value, affordable health care.
Read
more...
Medicare & Medicaid News
Marilyn Tavenner Confirmed to Head Medicare,
Medicaid After Six Years of Senate Inaction
Jennifer Haberkorn of Politico Pro discusses the
confirmation and the future for the CMS chief in interview with Kaiser
Health News
May 16, 2013 – It only took about six and a half
years but the Senate has confirmed a chief administrator for the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Marilyn B. Tavenner, the Obama
nominee, got the Senate nod yesterday on a 91-to-7 vote. She has been
acting head for two years after serving as Virginia’s health secretary
and as a hospital executive.
Read more...
Medicare & Medicaid News
New Round of Health Care Innovation Awards Follows
Year of Slower Growth in Medicare Costs
Program by Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services
seeks more ideas
for better health care at lower cost
May 15, 2013 – On the heels of news that healthcare
spending by Medicare per beneficiary increased by just 0.4 percent last
year – far below historical averages – the Obama administration today
announced the second round of Health Care Innovation Awards as part of
the effort to deliver better healthcare at a lower cost.
Read
more...
Medicare News
Wide Variance in What Hospitals Charge Exposed in
Data Release by Obama Administration
Consumers don’t know what hospitals charge them or
their insurance company; info aimed at helping them make smart choices
May 8, 2013 – The cost of healthcare just became a
lot more transparent with the release of information by Health and Human
Services on what hospitals charge for common inpatient services. The
information shows an extreme variance across the country and even within
communities.
Read more...
|
Medicare & Medicaid News
Elderly patient shocked to learn two
days of hospital stay were considered 'observation care'
and kept her from nursing home coverage
By
Susan Jaffe, Kaiser Health News
 May 3, 2013 - After Lois
Frarie, a 93-year-old retired teacher from
Monterey, Calif., spent four days at a local
hospital while being treated for a broken elbow
and pelvis, she went to a nearby nursing home to
build up her strength. But her family was
stunned to find out that they would have to pay
thousands of dollars up front since two of the
days she spent in the hospital were considered
"observation care."
Read more...
Statement issued by CMS is
below this news story; now elderly must spend
three days as hospital patient before being
eligible for nursing home care
By Susan
Jaffe, Kaiser Health News
May 3, 2013 -
Medicare officials have proposed changes in
hospital admission rules that they say will curb
the rising number of beneficiaries who are
placed in observation care but are not admitted,
making them ineligible for nursing home
coverage.
Read more...
|
Medicare News
Obama Administration Offering Seniors a Reward of
Almost $10 Million for Exposing Medicare Fraud
Also funding expansion of Senior Medicare Patrol to
spread the word on fraud, waste and abuse - elderly are on
'frontlines of this fight,' 'critical partners' in protecting taxpayer
dollars
April
24, 2013 – The Obama Administration made it clear today that it is out
to stop Medicare fraud. The proposal of a new rule today indicates they
want to increase rewards paid to Medicare beneficiaries and other
individuals whose tips about suspected fraud lead to the successful
recovery of funds to as high as $9.9 million from the current limit of
$1,000.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Questions
About Colon Screening Coverage Still Vex Consumers; Difference for
Medicare, Others
People in group, individual health plans don't pay for polyp removal
during a screening colonoscopy; feds say it is an integral part of screening
and should be covered without cost sharing - Medicare may still require
co-pay. Some remain vexed and confused about testing that begins at age 50
for second leading cancer killer
By Michelle
Andrews, Insuring Your Health, KHN
April 16, 2013 - No one looks forward to screening
tests for colon and rectal cancers. But under the Affordable Care Act,
patients are at least supposed to save on out of-pocket costs for them.
Coverage is not always clear, however, and despite the federal government's
clarifications, some consumers remain vexed and confused.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Five Ways the President's Budget Would Change
Medicare; Reduce Spending $371 Billion in Decade
Wealthier beneficiaries to pay more for coverage and
future retirees to pay higher copays for outpatient services such as
doctor's visits and home health care
By Mary Agnes Carey, KHN Staff Writer
April 15, 2013 - President Barack Obama's fiscal
2014 budget includes a variety of what he says are "manageable" changes
for Medicare's 54 million beneficiaries as well as for the hospitals,
nursing homes and other health care providers that serve them.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Ways and Means Draws Bead on Medicare Cuts, Chained
CPI to Limit COLA for Social Security
HHS Secretary Sebelius in witness chair today on
total budget for HHS, CMS with Social Security proposal the target this
Thursday
April 12, 2013 – The Republican-led House Ways and
Means Committee has grabbed the lead in questioning President Obama’s
2014 budget proposals for the Department of Health and Human Services,
which includes the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. HHS
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will testify there today and next Thursday
the hearing topic will be on entitlement reform proposals, with emphasis
on the controversial Chained Consumer Price Index, which will be used to
lower cost-of-living adjustments for seniors and others in future years.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Obama Says Budget Proposal Offers ‘Manageable’
Curbs on Medicare Cost, Social Security Benefits
Most
media reports say focus of White House is to strike a ‘Grand Bargain’
with Republicans who want to change Medicare into a voucher-style
system; Medicare proposal has one revenue item - higher premiums
for couples making more than $170,000 a year
April 11, 2013 - The White House says its budget is
a good start toward controlling government entitlement programs by
offering proposals to curb the growth of Social Security, Medicare and
other federal benefit programs. The budget blueprint, released
Wednesday, includes what the president called "manageable" curbs on
Medicare spending growth, but GOP congressional leaders were dismissive,
while some Democrats and virtually all senior citizen advocacy groups
were unsettled.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
How
Chained Consumer Price Index Proposed by Obama Works to Curb Social
Security Benefits
Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a Q&A about
inflation calculation that will slow cost-of-living adjustments for
senior citizens
April 11, 2013 – The term “COLA” is a part of the
Social Security program that has been highly cherished by senior
citizens. It stands for “cost-of-living adjustment,” and was the
government’s way of being trying to keep retired older Americans from
seeing their Social Security benefits eaten away by inflation. Now, the
Obama administration has come up with a new way to calculate inflation
that will reduce COLA in the future. It is called the chained consumer
price index and below is a Q&A on this method provided by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics.
Read
more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Reporters Dig Into Obama Budget and Find Other
Proposals that May Impact Seniors
More spending on Medicaid, mental health; replacing
current formula for Medicare pay to doctors
April 11, 2013 – Senior citizens have – rightly so
– primarily focused on the cuts to Social Security and Medicare in the
2014 budget proposal from the White House that was presented yesterday.
Media sources have found other parts of the budget that may also impact
many seniors - funding boosts for mental health and food and drug
safety, as well as the elimination of the SGR formula to set Medicare
physician payment rates. It also delays funding cuts to hospitals that
treat the uninsured.
Read
more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Congress Could Lose Older Voters by Cutting
Social Security, Medicare, Vets Benefits: AARP Poll
Senior advocates seem solid in opposition to cuts
expected to appear Wednesday in President Obama’s budget; Congressional
call-in on Wednesday
April 8, 2013 – Groups that advocate for senior
citizens and senior issues appear to be solid in their opposition to
budget moves advocated by Republicans and now supported by the White
House that will cut income from Social Security and reduce spending by
Medicare. A survey released today by AARP says 84% of American voters
age 50 and older oppose the chained CPI proposal for reducing Social
Security benefits for years ahead.
Read
more...
Medicare News
Medicare Advantage Plans Win Major Concession from
Obama Administration
Payments to insurers was forecast in February to be
cut for 2014, but it goes up in revision released Monday
April 2, 2013 – The final rate announcement for
Medicare was to be announced yesterday but was a little delayed as the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid carefully worded the news release
revealing a 3.3 percent increase for insurance companies offering
Medicare Advantage plans, rather than the 2.2 percent reduction forecast
in a February announcement.
Read more...
Medicaid News
Arkansas Medicaid Plan, Born Of Necessity, Shakes
Things Up in Reluctant Republican States
By Karl Eisenhower, Capsules –
the KHN Blog
March 26, 2013 - Since the Supreme Court made the Medicaid
expansion under the federal health law optional last year,
states’ decisions have largely split along party lines. States run by Democrats have
been opting in; states run by Republicans have mostly been saying no or
holding back.. Read
more...
Medicare News
Medicare a Hot Button as Budget Proposals from
Political Parties Smash Head-On
GOP’S Ryan presents ‘austere budget proposal that
looks a lot like one they approved last year that Democrats quickly
dismissed. Republicans revived plans to overhaul Medicare, slash the
social safety net for the poor and bolster defense — all while lowering
corporate and individual tax rates to no more than 25%’
March 13, 2013 – The political parties are running
out their budget proposals and the general consensus is they are “miles
apart.” The House GOP plan, which was unveiled yesterday, would repeal
the health law's subsidized insurance exchanges and Medicaid expansion
and turn Medicare into a premium-support system. The Senate Democrats'
plan, scheduled for release today, would lower domestic spending in part
by saving $275 billion through changes to Medicare and Medicaid that are
smaller than those proposed by Republicans.
Read
more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Senate Aging Committee Hears Changes to
Medicare Unpopular with Senior Citizens, Voters
First hearing of this Congress lays out the
problems and the options with a focus on fixing the cost of healthcare
Feb.
28, 2013 - The first hearing by the Senate Special Committee
on Aging since the leadership was handed to Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fl) and
ranking member, Susan Collins of (R-Me) took on the challenge of
Medicare’s future yesterday. But, rather than a doom-and-gloom hand wringing, it
was an earnest, straight-forward approach at helping the popular senior
program survive with little or no damage to its services.
Read
more...
Senior Citizen Politics
|
Chairman
Bill Nelson |
New Senate Aging Committee Tackles Future of Medicare in Hearing
Wednesday
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fl) takes over as chairman; Sen.
Susan Collins (R-Me) now leads Republicans (see members below news
story)
Feb. 26, 2013 – The first hearing by the Senate
Special Committee on Aging will convene tomorrow in hopes of finding the
best way to shape the future of Medicare to meet the challenges of a
booming senior population, climbing prices for health care and a
strained federal budget. It is the first hearing under new chairman,
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fl), and ranking member, Sen. Susan M. Collins
(R-Me). Read
more...
Medicare News
Changes To Medicare is Focus of Three Congressional
Hearings This Week
Small signs that Democrats and
Republicans are beginning to wrestle with the issue of what role
Medicare should play in deficit reduction
By Mary Agnes Carey
Feb. 25, 2013 - With $85 billion in
automatic federal spending cuts set to take effect on Friday and
predictions of economic disruption, much of official Washington is
focused on the “blame
game.” Publicly, there has been no sign that
Congress or administration officials has made any progress on averting
these cuts or finding common ground on tackling the country’s fiscal
problems.
Read more...
Medicare News
Traditional Medicare’s Administrative Cost – 1%;
Private Company Medicare Advantage – 6%
Setting the record straight on Medicare's overhead
costs: New study finds surprising results
Feb. 20, 2013 - The traditional Medicare program
allocates only 1 percent of total spending to overhead compared with 6
percent when the privatized portion of Medicare, known as Medicare
Advantage, is included, according to a study in the June 2013 issue of
the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law.
Read
more...
Medicare News
Seniors to See Lower Costs in Medicare Drug,
Advantage Plans in 2014, Says CMS
Agency also says seniors getting greater value
and improved payment accuracy in proposed 2014 payment and policy
updates
Feb. 16 , 2013 – Medicare costs for seniors are
going down, says an announcement yesterday by the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services. Since the Affordable Care Act was
passed in 2010, Medicare Advantage premiums have fallen by 10
percent and enrollment is expected to increase by an estimated 28
percent through this year. In addition, costs of the defined
standard Part D plan will be lower in 2014 than they are in 2013.
The standard Part D deductible will be $310, down from $325 in 2013,
and cost-sharing amounts will also be lower.
Read
more...
Senior Citizen Politics
President Obama Calls For Two 'Modest Reforms' To
Medicare
Obama suggests two specific changes in Medicare:
drug-makers should go back to giving rebates for
dual-eligibles, having wealthiest seniors pay more
for Medicare
Feb. 14, 2013 - Jackie Judd and Kaiser Health New's Mary
Agnes Carey examine the health care issues
in Tuesday night's State of the Union
address - and Sen. Rubio's Republican
response - in this Health on the Hill
discussion.
Read more...
Medicare News
Medicare Says Obamacare Provided $5.7 Billion in
Drug Savings; Free Preventive Service to 34 Million
Detailed reports shows state-by-state activity;
emphasizes donut hole reduction, free preventive services, holding down
costs, stopping fraud
Feb.
7, 2013 – A detailed report of the savings and benefits enjoyed by
senior citizens in Medicare, since the passage of the Affordable Care
Act (Obamacare), was released today by the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services. It highlights the $5.7 billion seniors saved by the
shrinkage of the drug programs “donut hole,” the 34 million older
Americans who have used a free preventive health service, program costs
control and fight against fraud.
Read
more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Obama Says He Has Offered 'Sensible Reforms To
Medicare' in Press Briefing on Budget
‘Reforms would reduce our government’s bills by
reducing the cost of health care, not shifting all those costs on to
middle-class seniors…’ see video
Feb. 6, 2013 – President Barack Obama spoke briefly to the
press yesterday about budget negotiations and emphasized the need to
reduce the cost of health care in the U.S. He also touched on
entitlements and, specifically, Medicare. Below is the complete
transcript with key words on senior programs highlighted in yellow.
Read more, see
video...
Medicare News
Hospice
Group Says JAMA Report on Last Minute Use of Hospice Care is Call for
Action
NHPCO calls for earlier and more frequent conversations
between patients and healthcare professionals
Feb.
6, 2013 – Research published yesterday in JAMA found the rate of hospice use
doubled from 2000 to 2009 but 28 percent of these dying Medicare patients
used the service three days or less. This is “a call for action,” says a
statement from the
National Hospice and
Palliative Care Organization.
Read more...
Medicare News
Lower Percentage of Medicare Patients Dying in
Hospitals; Increase in Use of ICUs, Hospice
The use of hospice care has doubled but it tends to
be for a very short period before death - see video
Feb. 5, 2013 – In a study that included data on
more than 800,000 Medicare patients who died between 2000 - 2009, a
lower proportion died in an acute care hospital in recent years,
although both intensive care unit (ICU) use and the rate of health care
transitions increased during the last month of life, according to a
study appearing in the February 6 issue of JAMA.
Read more,
see video...
Medicaid News
Florida Gets Okay to Shift Medicaid
Long-Term Care for Seniors to Managed Care
Medicaid-eligible seniors needing
long-term care likely will start enrolling later this year in managed
care - in their homes!
By Jim Saunders,
The News Service of Florida.
Feb. 5, 2013 - Federal health
officials have approved a key part of Florida's effort to transform its
Medicaid program, clearing the way for tens of thousands of seniors
across the state to move into managed-care plans.
Read more...
Medicare News
Sickest Senior Citizens Appear to be Leaving
Medicare Advantage for Traditional Medicare
Some question if private HMO-style plans
structure care to be less appealing to very ill, want to hold more
profitable patients; maybe very sick seniors more interested in
choosing doctors
By Jordan Rau, KHN Staff Writer
Feb. 4, 2013 - New research finds that many
seniors who switch from their HMO-style Medicare Advantage plan to
traditional Medicare have higher levels of significant health
problems, fueling concerns that the private plans cater to more
profitable, healthy beneficiaries but don’t provide the most
attractive care for the very ill.
Read more...
Medicare News
Medicare Patients with Heart Failure, Attack,
Pneumonia Return to Hospital for New Reasons
Diagnoses associated with 30-day re-admission are
diverse and not associated with patient demographics or time after
discharge for older patients
 |
|
See vide |
Jan. 23, 2013 – Among approximately 3 million
Medicare patients hospitalized for heart failure, heart attack, or
pneumonia, re-admissions were frequent throughout the 30 days
following the hospitalization, and resulted from a wide variety of
diagnoses that often differed from the cause of the index
hospitalization, according to a study appearing in the January 23/30
issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Read more,
see video...
Medicare News
Medicare Efforts to Slow Hospital
Re-Admissions, Hospitalizations Makes Some Gains in Tough Fight
Re-hospitalizations, hospitalizations down but rate of re-admissions
to discharges holds steady
Jan. 23, 2013 –
A top priority in Medicare’s effort to control cost has been to
reduce re-hospitalizations and a new study finds some success. In
communities where care transition initiatives were implemented for
Medicare patients, there have been declines in all-cause 30-day
re-hospitalizations and hospitalizations in general. But, there was
no significant drop in the rate of re-hospitalization as a
percentage of discharges.
Read
more...
Medicare News
Hospices May Be Discouraging
Patients with Expensive Medical Needs
Medicare pays for most hospice care
and a patient's doctor and hospice medical director must certify patient
has 6 months or less to live; patients must agree not to seek
curative care
Jan. 23, 2013 - Many people who are
terminally ill delay entering hospice care until just a few days or
weeks before they die, in part because they or their families don't want
to admit that there's no hope for a cure.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Senior Citizens Hear Encouraging Words
on Entitlements in President's Second Inaugural
'The commitments we make to each other through
Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security, these things do not sap our
initiative, they strengthen us' - see video
Jan. 22, 2013 –
President Barack Obama generally drew praise from senior
citizen advocates for the words in his inaugural address
yesterday that signaled his commitment to preserve the
“entitlement programs” of Medicare, Medicaid and Social
Security.
Read
more, see video...
Medicaid News
HHS Issues Rule to Equip Medicaid,
States to Better Handle Influx of New Medicaid Patients
Hopes to streamline eligibility,
appeals and give states more flexibility as millions more join Medicaid,
Children’s Health Insurance Program
Jan. 14, 2013 – Medicaid is headed
for significant expansion in 2014 due to the Affordable Care Act, and
Health and Human Services proposed a rule today to promote consistent
policies and processes for eligibility notices and appeals in this
program, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and state-based
health insurance marketplaces known as Exchanges.
Read more...
Medicare News
Medicare Discloses Hospitals' Bonuses, Penalties Based On Quality
Medicare compared hospitals on how faithfully they followed rudimentary
standards of care and how patients rated their experiences
By Jordan Rau, KHN Staff Writer
Dec. 21, 2012 - Medicare on Thursday disclosed bonuses and penalties for
nearly 3,000 hospitals as it ties almost $1 billion in payments to the
quality of care provided to patients. The revised payments, which will
begin in January, mark the federal government’s most extensive effort
yet to hold hospitals financially accountable for what happens to
patients.
Read more...
Seniors Need To Be Tenacious In Appeals To Medicare
Helpful instructions for senior citizens on how to
file an appeal - below news story
By Susan Jaffe, Kaiser Health News
Dec.
18, 2012 - Dan Driscoll used to be a smoker.
During a regular doctor's visit, his
primary-care physician suggested that Driscoll
be tested to see if he was at risk for an
abdominal aortic aneurysm, a life-threatening
condition that can be linked to smoking. The
doctor said Medicare would cover the procedure.
So Driscoll, 68, who lives in Silver Spring, had
the test done and was surprised when he got a
bill from Medicare for $214.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Aging
Coalition Urges Policymakers: Don't Reduce the Deficit on the Backs of
Seniors in Need
Groups representing 60 million older Americans oppose
cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security Cost-of-Living
Adjustments
Dec. 17, 2012 - The Leadership Council of Aging
Organizations (LCAO) - who together represent over 60 million older
Americans - expressed grave concerns about proposed cuts to
Medicare, Medicaid, the Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment
(COLA), and discretionary programs like the Older Americans Act as part
of the emerging budget agreement.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Increasing Medicare Age of Eligibility May Not Be
Off Table but Chances of Approval Look Dim
White House does not support statement by Sen. Durbin
that issue is not on the table
Dec. 14, 2012 – Yesterday, the Associated Press
reported that increasing the eligibility age for Medicare was no longer
part of the budget negotiations with Republicans. This good news for
older Americans not yet age 65 did not hold up, however, as
McClatchy
Newspapers report today that the White House will not confirm
the measure is off the table in talks aimed at avoiding the fiscal
cliff.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Medicare Silver Bullets: What’s The Best Way To
Control Costs? Experts Sound Off
Dec. 14, 2012 - Kaiser Health News (KHN) asked a range of health policy experts
the following question: If you could make only
one change to Medicare to control costs, what
would it be and why? Edited excerpts of their
thoughtful answers follow.
Read
more...
Marci's Medicare Answers
Medicare Advantage Plan Out of Business? You Have
Extra Time to Arrange New Coverage
Medicare Rights Center Q&A addresses HIV preventive
services; 'benchmark' Part D and Extra Help
Dec. 11, 2012 - Although the Medicare Open
Enrollment period ended on December 7, senior citizens who were enrolled
in a Medicare Advantage Plan that ceased operation still have time to
arrange for new Medicare coverage, according to "Dear Marci," a Q&A
column on Medicare provided by the Medicare Rights Center.
Read
more...
Medicaid News
Huge Experiment Aims To Save On
Care For Poorest, Sickest Patients: Many Seniors
Dec.
10, 2012
- Editor’s Note: Too often baby
boomers and senior citizens ignore the Medicaid program, assuming they
will never need that medical assistance for the poorest. It also happens
too often that many who thought that find they do, as medical, housing
and long-term care expenses devour their nest egg. Medicaid becomes the
last resort for survival. It has become a real focus of controversy as
federal and state governments struggle to fund it. This report focuses
on possible solutions for those seniors who qualify for Medicare and
Medicaid – the “dual-eligibles,” they are called - as well a younger
patients who cannot afford care.
Read more, see
video...
Senior Citizen Politics
How the 'Fiscal Cliff' May Affect
Senior Health Care: Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE
Republicans and Democrats
continue never-ending battle over the budget, while nation faces
government shut-down; seniors concerned do to dependence on government
health care
By
Mary Agnes Carey,
KHN Staff Writer
Dec. 7, 2012 - The impending
"fiscal cliff" is a package of automatic spending cuts and tax hikes set
to kick in next month unless President Barack Obama and Capitol Hill
agree on a way to stop them. Below are answers to how this
could impact Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE, the health program for the
military and veterans.
Read
more...
Senior Citizen Politics
GOP 'Fiscal Cliff' Plan with Big
Reductions in Social Security and Medicare Rejected by White House
$200 billion in savings to come from
GOP trick to change way inflation is calculated, thus reducing COLA for
Social Security and slow Medicare benefit increases
Dec. 4, 2012 - The House
Republican’s made a counteroffer to President Obama’s earlier budget
proposal and it that for big cuts in the critical programs for America’s
senior citizens – Social Security and Medicare – while still refusing to
allow taxes to rise back to previous levels for the wealthiest
taxpayers. The While House rejected the plan because it rejects the tax
increase and does not meet his "test of balance."
Read more...
Medicare News
Senior Citizens Must Make 2013 Medicare Plan
Choice by End of Open Enrollment on December 7
Just days remain for senior citizens to
make Medicare plan choices for 2013: no choice necessary if they do not
want to change plans
|
Medicare Open Enrollment Closes Friday, Dec. 7 |
Dec. 3, 2012 – With only days remaining
before the window closes on Medicare Open Enroll ment, senior citizens
are being reminded that the improvements to the drug program by the
Affordable Care Act have already saved 5.8 million seniors, and others
with Medicare, $5.1 billion - primarily by reducing the donut hole.
Seniors have until the end of the day on Friday, Dec. 7 to make new choices on a
drug program or Medicare Advantage.
Read more...
Medicare News
Key Group Rejects Calls To Limit
Seniors' Medigap Policies to Shrink Spending
Insurance Commissioners examine if seniors would use
less Medicare if the most popular Medigap plans were less generous
By Susan Jaffee, Kaiser Health News
Nov.
30, 2012 - A key group of state insurance commissioners dealt a blow
Friday to proposals that would shrink Medicare spending by asking
seniors to pay more for Medicare supplemental coverage.
Read more...
Medicare News
Medicare Open Enrollment: More is
Better, Says Official on Medicare Blog
Original Medicare benefits stronger, greater value;
Medicare Advantage plans often offer extras like vision, hearing,
dental, drug plans, etc.
By Jonathan Blum, Acting Principal Deputy
Administrator and Director of the Center for Medicare
|
 Medicare 2013 Open Enrollment
Oct. 15 – Dec. 7,
2012
|
Nov. 17, 2012 - In this season of Open Enrollment,
people with Medicare have the opportunity to choose the Medicare plan
that best serves their unique health needs and provides them with the
greatest value. In determining the value of a plan choice, you should
look not only at premiums and cost-sharing but also at what benefits and
quality of care that money will buy.
Read
more...
Senior Citizens to See Modest $5
Monthly Increase in Medicare Part B for 2013
The Part B deductible will also
increase by $7; reactions positive but note increasing cost of
healthcare for seniors
Nov. 16, 2012 – Senior citizens
will see their monthly premium for Medicare Part B increase by $5.00 to
$104.90 in 2013, which is $4.00 below earlier estimates by the Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services, according to Marilyn Travenner, acting
CMS Administrator, who announced the new rates on the CMS Blog.
Read
more...
Senior Citizen Politics
AARP Says 7 in 10 Older Americans
Oppose Medicare, Social Security Changes Now
‘Congress should not make last-minute
deals that would jeopardize the promise made to current and future
generations that they receive the Social Security and Medicare benefits
they have contributed…’
Nov.15, 2012 - In an AARP survey
fielded immediately following the 2012 election, 70 percent of Americans
age 50 or older say that they believe a separate public debate about the
future of Medicare and Social Security is needed and changes should not
be part of any end-of-year deal addressing the nation’s budget deficit,
often referred to as the “fiscal cliff.” Almost all (92%) older
Americans also said that it is very important that Washington listen to
ordinary citizens when it comes to decisions about Medicare and Social
Security. Read
more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Fiscal Cliff: What Is At Stake for Medicare,
Medicaid as Budget Battles Get Underway?
Medicare and Medicaid are big targets as the Congress
and White House begin urgent task of preventing the government from
falling off the “Fiscal Cliff’
|
Watch video,
listen to audio or
read transcript |
Nov. 15, 2012- The budget negotiations scenarios
that may include Medicare are discussed by Mary Agnes Carey of Kaiser
Health News in an interview by Jackie Judd. They also look at where the
“doc fix” (Medicare pay raise for doctors) fits into the budget picture
and whether Medicaid cuts are possible.
Read more, see
video...
Medicare News
Changes in Medicare Expected in Negotiations to
Avoid the ‘Fiscal Cliff’
‘Lawmakers are wrestling with finding a balance
between asking beneficiaries to pay more for Medicare services and
reducing payments to Medicare providers’
By Mary Agnes Carey, KHN Staff Writer
Nov. 14, 2012 - Expectations are high. President
Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, say they want to
avert the fiscal cliff, that toxic mix of expiring tax breaks and
automatic spending reductions set to begin in January. If Republicans
make concessions on taxes, Democrats and the president say, they’ll move
on entitlements, such as Medicare and Medicaid, as part of a larger deal
to reduce the federal deficit.
Read
more...
Medicare Extends Enrollment Period For Those
Affected By Sandy
Can still enroll after the midnight Dec. 7 deadline
if you call Medicare’s 24-hour information line, 1- 800-Medicare
(1-800-633-4227)
By Susan Jaffe, Kaiser Health News Blog
|
Medicare 2013 Open Enrollment
Oct. 15 – Dec. 7,
2012
|
Nov. 9, 2012 - Medicare beneficiaries battered by Superstorm Sandy
have one less problem to worry about: Federal officials have extended
the
Dec. 7 deadline to enroll
in a private medical or drug plan for next year for those still coping
with storm damage.
Read more...
Medicare Hoping to Nudge Seniors Out
of Drug, Health Plans with Low Ratings
First
time Medicare officials have tried to steer beneficiaries away from some
private drug and medical plans, while still allowing them to operate
By Susan Jaffe, Kaiser Health News
|
Medicare 2013 Open Enrollment
Oct. 15 – Dec. 7,
2012
|
Nov. 7,
2012 - Medicare officials are trying a novel
approach during this open enrollment season to
gently nudge a half million beneficiaries out of
26 private drug and medical plans that have
performed poorly over the past three years.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Obamacare Gets New Life with Election Win by President
Obama; Takes Place in History
President’s
second term will be about bringing the law to life; Obama
reelection, Democrats holding the Senate will solidify the
law in American history - see editor's notes on benefits for
seniors
By Jay Hancock, KHN Staff Writer
Nov. 7, 2012 - President Barack Obama’s
victory cements the Affordable Care Act, expanding coverage
to millions but leaving weighty questions about how to pay
for it and other care to be delivered to an increasingly
unhealthy, aging population.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
HHS Secretary Sebelius Touts Savings, Assistance for
Seniors from Obamacare
Pre-election day announcement says Affordable Care
Act has saved Medicare patients $4.8 billion on prescription drugs
Oct. 25, 2012 – In a timely pre-election day press
release, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that because of
the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), 5.6 million seniors and people with
disabilities have saved $4.8 billion on prescription drugs. And, she
adds, in 2012 alone, 2.3 million people in the Medicare prescription
drug coverage gap known as the “donut hole” have saved an average of
$657. During the first nine months of 2012, over 20.7 million people
with original Medicare got at least one preventive service at no cost to
them. Read
more...
Medicare News
'Somewhat surprising how many
seniors would be willing to pay more for Medicare'
By Alvin Tran, Capsules,
The KHN Blog
Oct. 19, 2012 - Although
most seniors appear to be at least somewhat
satisfied with their Medicare coverage, many are
deeply worried about what the future may hold
for the program, according to a national survey
released this week. More than 60 percent of
seniors surveyed said they are concerned about
changes the program may undergo.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
GOP Premium Support Plan Could Raise Medicare
Premiums In Many Parts of Country
A central part of the House Republican budget written
by Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, now GOP’s vice-presidential candidate;
also embraced by Mitt Romney
By
Jordan
Rau, KHN Staff Writer
Oct.
15, 2012 - The type of proposal championed by Republicans to overhaul
Medicare by giving beneficiaries a fixed amount of money to purchase
insurance could lead to significant increases in premium costs in some
parts of the country, according to a new study.
Read more...
Medicare News
Medicare Open Enrollment
Season Opens For
Advantage Health and
Drug Plans
|
Medicare 2013 Open Enrollment
Oct. 15 – Dec. 7,
2012
|
Seniors have been
reluctant to change
plans, even if there are
cheaper or better-rated
alternatives
By Susan Jaffe, Capsules -The KHN Blog
Oct. 15, 2012 -
Today, Medicare
beneficiaries can
begin choosing their
drug and medical
coverage for 2013,
and most seniors are
expected to stick
with the same
policies they have
already, despite
price changes and a
rating system that
shows some plans may
be better than
others.
Read more...
Medicare Quality Ratings for 2013 Health, Drug Plans
Added to Plan Finder
More four, five star plans than ever before for open
enrollment – Oct. 15 – Dec. 7
Oct. 12, 2012 – With the Medicare Open Enrollment
set to open on Monday, October 15, the quality ratings for 2013 Medicare
health and drug plans were released today on the web-based Medicare Plan
Finder. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius made the
announcement today and also declared that people with Medicare have more
high quality choices and the performance of Medicare Advantage plans is
improving.
Read more...
Seniors Citizens Overspend On Medicare Part D Drug
Program: Health Affairs Study
Only 5.2 percent of Medicare recipients chose the
most economic Part D plan available
By Ankita Rao,
Capsules -The KHN Blog
Oct.
11, 2012 - Seniors spent on average $368 more than they needed to on
drug coverage through Medicare Part D plans in 2009 — their decisions
complicated by the sheer volume of plans available and difficulties
involved in determining what makes a plan a good choice, a
Health Affairs study
released Tuesday has found.
Read
more...
Seniors Urged to Use Council on Aging Tools for
Medicare Open Enrollment Help
From October 15 to December 7 senior citizens should
review options and make changes in their Medicare coverage
|
Medicare 2013 Open Enrollment
Oct. 15 – Dec. 7,
2012
|
Oct. 9, 2012 - Next week marks the beginning of
Medicare's annual Open Enrollment Period, which runs Oct. 15- Dec. 7.
Now is the time for people with Medicare to review their plan options
and make the most informed decision about their 2013 coverage, says the
National Council on Aging.
Read more...
Medicare Fraud Strike Unit Nabs Doctors, Nurses for
$492 Million in False Billing
Dozens arrested or surrendered in the last 24 hours
as indictments were unsealed across the country
Oct. 4, 2012 - Medicare Fraud Strike Force
operations in seven cities have led to charges against 91 individuals –
including doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals – for
their alleged participation in Medicare fraud schemes involving
approximately $429.2 million in false billing, Attorney General Eric
Holder and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
announced today.
Read more...
Medicare Skilled Nursing Appears to Be Used for End
of Life Care Due to Cost
Authors say high Medicare SNF benefit use at the end
of life highlights a need to incorporate quality palliative care
services in nursing home
Oct. 1, 2012 – Most Medicare patients enroll in
skilled nursing facility (SNF) care for rehabilitation or
life-prolonging care, but in reality, many are dying patients discharged
to a SNF for end-of-life care, where the available care may not be
available. A new report finds that almost one-third of Medicare senior
citizens received care in a SNF in the last six months of their lives
under the Medicare post-hospitalization benefit. A reason for this shift
may be the cost.
Read more...
FDA Sends Stern Warning About Internet Pharmacies:
Only 3% Meet U.S. Standards
BeSafeRx is national campaign to better educate
Americans on drug purchasing, fake pharmacies; seniors not the prime
targets they were before Medicare drug program
Oct. 1, 2012 – The Food and Drug Administration has
launched a new campaign warning Americans about the prevalence of
fraudulent Internet pharmacies and their danger to patient health. The
public awareness campaign says only 3 percent of these drug dealers meet
U.S. standards. It also aims to help consumers make safe online
purchases. Senior citizens, major shoppers for lower priced drugs before
the Medicare drug program was launched, still may seek low-cost options
if they fall into the Plan D donut hole.
Read
more...
Seniors Must Shop to Avoid Big Hikes in Top Medicare
Drug Plans: Avalere
Average increase may be moderate in 2013, but varies
widely; 7 of top 10 plans have double digit premium jumps
Sept. 26, 2012 - The announcement by Medicare HHS
Sec. Kathleen Sebelius in August that the average basic premium for
Medicare drug plans is expected to "remain constant in 2013" needed more
explanation, according to an analysis by Avarlee Health. The advisory
firm says seniors in some of the top plans will need to shop around to
avoid double digit increases, but can find big savings through careful
shopping.
Read more, see plans...
Senior Citizen Politics
Medicare Moves Into Spotlight of Presidential Race;
Poll Finds Obama More Trusted
AARP upset that Medicare, Social Security or not on
agenda for first presidential debate on Oct. 3; Medicare topic today at
AARP meeting in New Orleans
Sept. 21, 2012 – Just as both presidential
campaigns are shifting more of their focus to Medicare, the Commission
on Presidential Debates has announced that this hot issue for senior
citizens is not listed as a topic for the first presidential debate.
AARP has issued a statement urging that “retirement security issues be
directly addressed.” A new USA Today /Gallup Poll shows President Barack
Obama is more trusted to address Medicare issues than Mitt Romney.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
HHS Touts Growth in Medicare Advantage Plans, Drop
in Premiums Ahead of Hearing
GOP working on case that Obamacare cut MA plans,
causing seniors to leave program; House Ways and Means Health
Subcommittee hearing Friday
By
Mary Agnes Carey, Kaiser Health News
Sept.
20, 2012 - Just days away from a House hearing where Republicans are
likely to charge that the 2010 health law’s cuts to
Medicare Advantage
plans will cause insurers to leave the program and seniors to pay more
for coverage, the Obama administration said Wednesday that as a result
of the law seniors now have more of these private plans to choose from
and that coverage is less expensive.
Read more...
Medicare News
Medicare Enrollment to Open with Premiums Flat for
Drug, Advantage Plans in 2013
Medicare Advantage Plans expected to continue growth
– up 28% since Obamacare, cost down 10%; Enrollment opens Oct. 15 for
2013 plans
|
Medicare 2013 Open Enrollment
Oct. 15 – Dec. 7,
2012
|
Sept. 20, 2012 – Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period
for health and drug plans in 2013 will open on October 15 and the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services expects an 11 percent increase in Medicare
Advantage enrollments and a slight increase in premiums. MA premiums
have dropped by 10 percent, while enrollment has jumped by 28 percent,
since the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) was passed in 2010. Drug plan
premiums are expected to be about like they were this year.
Read more...
Insurance & Investments for Seniors
Often Unnoticed In Nursing Home Papers Is
Arbitration Agreement You May Not Want to Sign
Anxious seniors or their caregivers often sign every
document that's put in front of them, perhaps only glancing at the
content
By Michelle Andrews
Sept. 18, 2012 - When Paul Ormond signed John
Mitchell into a nursing home in Dennis, Mass., in June, he was handed a
few dozen pages of admission papers. Ormond, Mitchell's legal guardian
and an old friend, signed wherever the director of admissions told him
to. Read more...
Medicare News
Shingles Vaccination Not Covered for Some in Medicare; It is for Some Boomers
Seniors face many obstacles to getting needed vaccines, including the shingles vaccine
Sept. 14, 2012 – The
shingles vaccine – its cost, its coverage by Medicare, its coverage provided by Medicare supplement insurance, its coverage by the drug
program – are frequent questions among senior citizens. This week the answers are provided by Michelle Andrews in her column for Kaiser News,
“Insuring Your Health.” Read more...
Medicare Q&A
What to Do If Years of Credits are Missing from Your Social Security Record?
Social Security Q&A always has some surprises for even long-term retirees. Did you know noncitizens can collect Social
Security?
Sept. 12, 2012 – Your Social Security record can be missing years of your work credits – a costly error that can be
corrected, according to Oscar Garcia, Public Affairs Specialist, Social Security Administration. That is one of several unusual questions he
answers this week about the program, including this one, “Can a noncitizen collect Social Security?”
Read more...
Advice Column from Dr. Carolyn Clancy
Helping Senior Citizens Avoid Return Trips to the Hospital
Next month Medicare will prod hospitals to improve their practices; Those with high readmissions for heart attack,
pneumonia, and heart failure will get paid less
By Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D., Director, Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality
Sept. 11, 2012 - If you or a loved one has ever been in the hospital for a serious condition, the last thing you want is
a fast return trip. But that's what happens to 1 in 5 patients covered by Medicare, the health insurance program for people 65 and older,
a major study
found. Hospital readmissions within 30 days are costly for Medicare and for patients.
Read more...
Medicare News
Players Set for Better Health Care at Lower Cost in CMS Primary Care Initiative
Public-private partnership ready to begin helping Medicare patients in 7 regions of U.S.
Aug. 22, 2012 – An initiative designed in 2011 to provide improved access to quality health care at lower costs for
Medicare patients has completed signing up 500 primary care practices. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says the
Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative begins this fall to provide “more effective, more affordable, higher quality health care.”
Read more...
How will Medicare Medigap Insurance Change Under Health Law?
Plans F and C are the most popular supplemental
plans, chosen by nearly two-thirds of beneficiaries; Will increasing premiums be slowed?
By Michelle Andrews
Aug. 20, 2012 - Occasionally, this column answers reader questions about
health insurance and how the health law affects them. How will the new health law affect
Medigap policies? I’m on Medicare with a Medigap Plan F. Premiums are rising 20 percent a year.
It’s a real strain for me? Read more...
Medicare News
Seniors, Boomers Can Soon Pick Up Medicare Information at Local Pharmacy
HHS announces partnership with pharmacies to help spread the news on new health benefits under new health law
Aug. 16, 2012 - Seniors will soon be able to go to their local pharmacy to learn more about Medicare and the benefits
available to them under the Affordable Care Act. The announcement yesterday by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was timely as a new study was
released showing increasing numbers of senior citizens are using the clinics popping up in pharmacies across the country.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Politics
Romney's Choice of Rep. Ryan Key to Politics of Campaign Medicare
Debate
Senior citizen issues like Medicare and Social Security take center stage in presidential race as GOP's Romney picks vp with
controversial ideas on entitlements - see video
Aug. 13, 2012 - KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and Marilyn Werber Serafini discuss how Medicare reforms could figure into November’s
presidential election now that presumptive GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney has chosen Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to be his running mate.
Read more..see video.
Medicare News
Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Premiums to Remain Steady for Third Year
Annual enrollment period begins Oct. 15 and ends Dec. 7, 2012
Aug. 7, 2012 - Average basic premiums for Medicare prescription drug plans are projected to remain constant in 2013,
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced yesterday. The average 2013 monthly premium for basic prescription drug
coverage is expected to be $30. Average premiums for 2012 were projected to be $30 and ultimately averaged $29.67.
Read more...
Social Security Q&A
Couple of Things Seniors May Not Know About Social
Security, Medicare
There are things women in particular should know about Social Security
Aug.
3, 2012 – There are a lot of things most of us don’t know about our senior entitlements – Social Security and Medicare. Oscar Garcia, Public
Affairs Specialist with SSA, answers a couple of them here – are benefits calculated differently for men and women, and does Medicare cover us
outside the U.S. Read more...
HHS Says 89 New Accountable Care Organizations Serving Medicare
2.4 million people with Medicare to receive ‘better, more coordinated care’ with shared savings initiative
July 31, 2012 - As of July 1, 89 new Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) began serving 1.2 million people with Medicare
in 40 states and Washington, D.C. ACOs are organizations formed by groups of doctors and other health care providers that have agreed to work
together to coordinate care for people with Medicare, according to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
Read more...
Colorado CO-OP Becomes 17th Funded by CMS to Support New Health Law
In 2014 they will offer health plans through Affordable Insurance Exchanges
July 30, 2012 - The Colorado Health Insurance Cooperative, Inc. (CHI) became the 17th Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan
(CO-OP) to be provided a start-up loan by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to launch a new private non-profit, consumer-governed
health insurance company to serve Colorado. Read more...
Obamacare Saves Seniors, Disabled $3.9 Billion on Prescription Drugs
First half of 2012 a million Medicare beneficiaries have saved average of $629 under Affordable Care Act
July 30, 2012 – Many of the senior citizens who feel compelled to oppose Obamacare – the Affordable Care Act – may want
to take a careful look at the massive savings on prescription drugs that seniors are gaining from the bill. More than 5.2 million in Medicare
have saved over $3.9 billion on prescription drugs since the healthcare reform bill was enacted.
Read more...
Medicare Wants Pay Hike for Primary Care Providers; Pay to Return Patients Home
Proposal includes more Medicare-covered preventive services that can be provided by interactive telecommunications system
July 9, 2012 – Family physicians are getting a pay increase of almost 7 percent from Medicare in January and other
practitioners providing primary care services will get between 3 and 5 percent. More than a million physicians and non-physician practitioners
are covered under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for calendar year (CY) 2013.
Read more...
More Evidence Senior Citizens in Donut Hole Cut Back on Prescribed Drugs
Medicare depression patients take considerable risk in skipping drugs; many cut back on other critical medicine, too;
Obamacare could help
July 2, 2012 - Senior citizens
with depression who fell into the “donut hole” – the gap in the Medicare Part D prescription drug program where coverage stops – were very
likely to stop taking the antidepressants they had been prescribed, according to a report by Archives of General Psychiatry, a JAMA
Network publication. And, not surprisingly, they also cut back on other prescription drugs they were taking.
Read more...
