According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the part of the Medicare program that provides recipients with the ability to select their own private insurance have seen a drop in their premiums by an average of 7 percent, and there has been an increase in enrollment by 10 percent. According to Kathleen Sebelius, a Health and Human Services secretary, this has been an ongoing trend for Medicare Advantage system, which helps to work against the negative forecasts that have been made by those in opposition to the health…
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With Thanksgiving and Black Friday over, the Medicare deadline is the next big date
With the Thanksgiving turkey eaten and Black Friday’s discount-hunting madness behind them, consumers have started to use the final two weeks left for open Medicare enrollment to do their last minute insurance shopping. Senior citizens are now starting to run out of time for choosing a new Medicare prescription drug or Advantage plan if they want to alter their current coverage. The deadline for Medicare’s open enrollment has been moved to December 7 from its traditional December 31 as a result of the 2010 federal healthcare laws. The reason for…
Read MoreOver half of seniors using exchange for private Medicare plan to reevaluate in 2011 AEP
A survey that included the participation of 372 seniors who have previously bought private supplemental Medicare plans showed that 58 percent are now using the 2011Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) to rethink their insurance needs. When the seniors were asked why they were reevaluating their plans, the top three reasons were: • 45 percent wanted to make certain that they were receiving the best coverage for their needs • 19 percent had experienced an increase in premiums • 9 percent had experienced an increase in out-of-pocket expenses. Another 35 percent…
Read MoreLearning more about healthcare and open enrollment for Medicare
The Medicare open enrollment period is already well underway, as is the healthcare enrollment for people who receive health insurance from their employers and individuals who haven’t yet gone over their current coverage package for 2012 are being advised to hurry up and get started. For those individuals who haven’t yet missed their window of opportunity for changes in employer-sponsored insurance, the sooner they have a look at their current health insurance and compare it to what is available, the better, because any changes that are made by employers or…
Read MoreMedicare issues that baby boomers should understand
An eHealth Inc. subsidiary, PlanPrescriber, has issued its “Top 6 List”, which is a report that contains issues that individuals who are considering the Medicare Supplement plan – especially baby boomers – will want to think about before the end of the 2012 Medicare Annual Enrollment Period. This period started on October 15, 2011, and will continue until December 7, 2011. In the majority of circumstances, beneficiaries of Medicare who also have a supplement plan and want to alter their prescription drug coverage in Part D for next year will…
Read MoreNew search tool for Medicare Part D for 2012 available through Q1Medicare.com
The Medicare Part D prescription drug plan search tool – also known as the PDP Finder – is now launched through Q1 Medicare and this stand-alone feature is now available for use. This tool gives Medicare beneficiaries such as seniors a look at all of the different Medicare Part D plans available for 2012 for their areas quickly and easily. These plans are offered along with the primary details for all drug tiers of coverage, such as the monthly premiums, “Donut Hole” coverage, the initial deductibles, and cost sharing/co-payment information.…
Read MoreAn overview of Medicare plans and what they cover
Medicare health insurance is a program that is federally administered and is made available to people with certain specific forms of disability, permanent kidney failure, or people who are 65 years of age or older. There are several different types of Medicare plans, the basics of which are as follows: • Medicare Part A – provides coverage for hospital care (among institutions that accept Medicare) and has no monthly premium for its beneficiaries, as long as they have been employed and have paid FICA taxes for a minimum of a…
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