Roundup: 2022 Medicare benefits and more
We’re already three months into the new year. It seems time to put together all the information you might need to be on top of your Medicare health care costs and how to save money in 2022. What are...
View ArticleMedicare Disadvantage: How corporate insurers destroy Medicare
Merrill Goozner writes for Gooznews about the disadvantage of Medicare Advantage, which is administered through corporate insurers. MedPAC, the agency that oversees Medicare, has warned that, if the...
View ArticleFour things to think about when choosing between traditional Medicare and...
There are four important factors to consider when choosing between traditional Medicare, which is administered by the federal government, and Medicare Advantage plans, which are administered by...
View ArticleQuestions for your primary care doctor if you have Medicare
As you might know, the federal government is moving towards a “capitated” payment model for everyone with Medicare, paying insurers, private equity, and other intermediaries a flat fee for each...
View ArticleMedicare Advantage benefits: Appearances v. reality
The Commonwealth Fund’s latest report on Medicare Advantage “benefit design” provides what I would call the standard take, highlighting Medicare Advantage’s out-of-pocket cap and “additional benefits,”...
View ArticleData show Medicare Advantage covers less nursing, rehab, home health care
The Kaiser Family Foundation just released a new study looking at more than 60 past studies of Medicare Advantage. The takeaway is familiar: People with few health care needs fare well in Medicare...
View ArticleIt’s Medicare Open Enrollment: To save money and avoid big risks, check out...
The Medicare Annual Open Enrollment Period is underway through December 7. You could save a lot of money and headache if you check out your options. Most people don’t tend to switch Medicare drug plans...
View ArticleCase study: Medicare Advantage delays, denials and consequences
Rick Timmins, a retiree in Washington State, reports the delays and denials he has faced trying to get care while enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan in Washington State. The costs of these delays...
View ArticleThe choice between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage: It’s a sham
If all things were equal, the choice between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage is easier than you think, as I wrote in a previous post. But as one reader commented, there’s more to it than I...
View ArticleMedicare should increase physician pay to ensure good access to care
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s (MedPAC’s) most recent report to Congress recommends that Medicare increase physician pay in traditional Medicare. Its recommendation came in the context of...
View Article