The authors of an article on selecting a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan claim that “only 5.2 percent of beneficiaries chose the cheapest plan,” and add “beneficiaries on average spent $368 more annually than they would have spent had they purchased the cheapest plan available.”  Even more painfully, more than a fifth of beneficiaries … Read more

Additional details have been released about the proposed settlement to end the Medicare requirement of showing improvement in order to receive coverage of skilled care and therapy services.   Medicare recipients can expect to see changes in Medicare & You so that the sections which currently cite a patient’s need to show improvement will instead cite … Read more

In October, Medicare beneficiary David P. (not his real name), was shocked to see a charge of more than $1,000 on his credit card statement. The charge was for the complete cost of renting a machine he needed to help him recover from knee replacement surgery. The equipment is covered by Medicare, so Mr. P. … Read more

Medicare can be confusing, with a wide array of terms and coverage options that are completely foreign to the average healthcare consumer. In part one of this two-part series from Soundpath Health, we’ll define some key terms. In Part 2, we’ll explain the different coverage options that are available. Below are 10 terms that are … Read more

The hospital industry has mounted a fierce lobbying campaign to persuade Congress to raise the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67 by 2014.  The hospitals are making the push in order to avoid billions of dollars of cuts in their future Medicare payments. The deficit reduction plan agreed to by Congress calls for a … Read more

We’re proud of our grandchildren as they grow in knowledge, such as when they first learn their ABC’s. Unfortunately, when we qualify for Medicare, we discover that we have to learn our ABCs all over again, and it’s a lot tougher this time around. See if you’ve got the  framework straight for Medicare  here…

One of the major benefits of Medicare is its coverage of hospitalization. Medicare covers 90 days of hospitalization per illness (plus a 60-day “lifetime reserve”). However, if you are admitted to a hospital as a Medicare patient, the hospital may try to discharge you before you are ready. While the hospital can’t force you to … Read more

The first of the 78 million baby boomers turned 65 on January 1, 2011, and some 10,000 a boomers a day will reportedly be turning 65 between now and 2030. If you are among those about to turn 65, then it is time to think about Medicare. You become eligible for Medicare as soon as … Read more

Do you fall in the donut hole? There may be help for you if you have limited assets. Here are the standards.