Traditional Medicare protects people from unexpected costs
Traditional Medicare provides enrollees with good protections against unexpected costs. People in traditional Medicare are rarely responsible for the cost of the care they receive, even if Medicare...
View ArticleMedicare Advantage plans unaccountable for billions in overcharges
Past government audits reveal that Medicare Advantage plans have overcharged the federal government tens of billions of dollars since their inception. Recent government data show that Medicare...
View ArticleMajor problems with Medicare Plan Finder
Not long ago, advocacy groups called out the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for misleading the public about Medicare Advantage plans–private insurance plans that offer Medicare...
View ArticleMedicare Advantage costs taxpayers more than traditional Medicare
If you look at the data, the private health insurance industry has not succeeded at innovating to rein in Medicare spending through the Medicare Advantage program. A new paper on the Health Affairs...
View ArticlePrivate health insurers don’t let you budget for your care
Kaiser Health News reports that people with the wherewithal to shop around for affordable health care can easily end up with bigger bills than they expected. Unlike traditional Medicare, private health...
View ArticleFive arguments for Medicare for All
As we continue to debate how to move forward on health reform, it’s helpful to understand the key arguments for Medicare for All, a single-payer public health insurance system that would guarantee...
View ArticleDon’t be seduced by Medicare Advantage bells and whistles
As you’re thinking about your Medicare options this Fall, don’t be seduced by new bells and whistles available from some Medicare Advantage plans. Congress is allowing these corporate health plans,...
View ArticleMedicare Open Enrollment in 2019
Medicare Open Enrollment begins on October 15 and runs through December 7. Whether you are enrolled in traditional Medicare and have a Part D prescription drug plan or you are in a commercial Medicare...
View ArticleTen ways Medicare Advantage plans differ from traditional Medicare
There is a lot of confusion surrounding Medicare Advantage plans–commercial health insurance for people with Medicare–and the ways Medicare Advantage plans differ from traditional Medicare. You may...
View ArticlePeople with Medicare still spend an average of $5,500 on health care
Medicare is a blessing for people over 65 and people with disabilities. But, it only covers about half of a typical person’s health care costs. A new Kaiser Family Foundation study finds that people...
View ArticleTraditional Medicare offers better home care benefits than Medicare Advantage
If you have Medicaid or can afford supplemental coverage to fill gaps in traditional Medicare, here’s another reason to think twice before signing up for a Medicare Advantage plan. Researchers at Brown...
View ArticleMany people find themselves locked into their Medicare Advantage plans
If you’ve just joined a Medicare Advantage plan this open enrollment period, you have until December 7, and than again between January 1 and February 14, to reconsider. Here’s what you need to know:...
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Your Medigap options in 2020
As of 2020, if you are enrolled in traditional Medicare and need to buy Medicare supplemental insurance (Medigap), you have new Medigap options. If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan and you...
View ArticleCMS intends to increase overpayments to MA plans
Inexplicably and inexcusably, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued a notice that it plans to increase overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans by 7.98% in 2023, Modern Healthcare...
View Article2022: Medicare out-of-pocket costs
Many if not most Americans breathe a sigh of relief when they are eligible to enroll in Medicare, as they should. Medicare guarantees good affordable health care coverage that is not available to...
View ArticleBiden administration bent on privatizing traditional Medicare
There appears to be little light any more between corporate health care and government health care or even between government health care-speak and corporate health care-speak. In the latest government...
View ArticleRoundup: 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...
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