Medicare Open Enrollment Time
While I don’t spend much time here talking about Medicare issues, the end of the year is an important time. That’s because it is Medicare’s open enrollment period, a once a year special event. Medicare is one of the many government programs that can be confusing. There are so many different options
More Numbers for 2021
Last week I talked about some of the important Medicaid and VA numbers that will increase in 2021. This week we’ll review some more adjustments for 2021 in some of the other government programs and taxes relevant to our clients. Medicare Part B premiums will increase slightly next year. Most people pay the standard
Medicare Insurer Taking Proactive Steps Ahead of Flu Season
As winter approaches, COVID-19 infection rates have started to climb again. At the same time we are entering influenza season. Health officials have talked for some time about the potential double whammy caused by COVID infections and flu cases occurring at the same time. The symptoms of the two illnesses are similar which
Out of Crisis Perhaps Change?
The global pandemic has caused havoc in everyone’s life. The immediate effects of the current crisis are obviously negative. Out of every crisis, however, there are often some positive changes. New York was the first region in the country to be hard hit by Covid. Hospitals were overwhelmed and as
Covid Medicare Coverage
What we know about the Coronavirus is that seniors are at a higher risk of serious illness than younger age groups. So how has Medicare, the primary health insurance program for Americans over 65, responded?
What 2020 Candidates are Saying About Social Security (Part 1)
This being an election year there is talk again about what the candidates propose to do about the Social Security program which most recent projections suggest will run out of money by 2035. The Medicare program projections are more dire, with that program now expected to be insolvent by 2026 which is 3 years earlier
Medicare Decision – 6 Years Later
I wrote about this decision here six and a half years ago. (Blog posts 3-25-13 and 4-1-13) The case is Jimmo vs. Sebelius and it corrected the misapplication of Medicare rules concerning coverage for rehabilitation services and therapy. The standard that had been applied for many years was whether the
Update on Social Security and Medicare
The federal government has issued annual updates on the financial soundness of Social Security and Medicare, stating that each government benefit program will run out of money within the next 8 to 16 years or so. Here’s the latest news. For the first time since
New Medicare ID Cards
In an effort to prevent fraud, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has redesigned Medicare cards. The cards are still red, white and blue but they will no longer contain a Social Security number, gender, signature and other personal information, all of which could compromise the Medicare
An Update on an Important Medicare Decision
In 2013 I wrote on this blog about an important court decision that impacted many seniors discharged from hospitals to subacute facilities for rehabilitation. (See my posts on March 25 and April 1, 2013.) Up to 100 days of rehabilitative services are covered by Medicare but many seniors receive