Sorted by date Results 377 - 401 of 491
If you watch much TV you’ve probably heard the ads for free or nearly free medical items, possibly a knee brace, back brace, or other device. “If you qualify for Medicare, then you qualify to get these items or services – all you have to do is ask. You don’t even have to need the items.” Why would the manufacturers do this? Because to get your freebies, you have to give them your valuable Medicare ID number, or other insurance ID, so they bill for the items. It is a way to drum up business, but the fact is, you may not receive the items at all....
Medicare is serious about enlisting your help to fight fraud. If you suspect fraud and you meet all five of these conditions, you could be eligible for a reward of $1,000. Here are the conditions: 1. You report your suspected Medicare fraud. The allegation must be specific, not general. 2. The suspected Medicare fraud you report must be confirmed as potential fraud by the Program Safeguard Contractor, the Zone Program Integrity Contractor, or the Medicare Drug Integrity Contractor (the Medicare contractors responsible for investigating...
Editor’s note: This press statement was received from Sen. Murkowski’s office on June 4. Senator Lisa Murkowski joined five of her Senate colleagues in introducing the bipartisan “Treat and Reduce Obesity Act,” which would help prevent chronic diseases and lower health care costs by addressing America’s growing obesity epidemic. This legislation gives Medicare beneficiaries and their healthcare providers additional tools to reduce obesity by improving access to weight-loss counseling and new prescription drugs for chronic weight managemen...
It is the middle of this year and time to talk about the valuable Medicare Preventive services that you are entitled to if you are on Medicare Part B, the part of Medicare that helps pay for non-hospitalized benefits. (FYI, Medicare Part A is the part of Medicare that helps pay for the expenses you incur when you are hospitalized. If you have worked under Social Security and paid into Medicare for 40 quarters at any time during your life, you automatically receive Medicare Part A without a...
You may know that theft of Social Security numbers (SSN) among seniors often happens because thieves go after your Medicare cards. Experts say, never carry your Social Security card with you, to prevent theft of your SSN. But your SSN is printed on your Medicare card, which we are told we should carry. Thieves know this. For ages Americans have been asking our government to remove that critical number from the Medicare card, but to no avail. It looks like someone might finally be listening. With the rise of cyber-attacks involving medical...
The prices that hospitals ask customers to pay for a series of common procedures have increased by more than 10 percent between 2011 and 2013 – more than double the rate of inflation, according to new data released recently by Medicare. But the amounts paid by Medicare have stayed flat, according to that data. The hospitals’ rising list prices mainly affect the uninsured and people who use hospitals outside their insurance network. The 2013 Medicare billing information was part of a large release of data breaking down spending based on hos...
Check off “budget” on the Republicans “can govern” checklist. Congressional Republicans recently approved a budget bill, the first passed by Congress in six years, and the first since the party took control of both chambers earlier this year. The non-binding document, however, does not go to President Obama for his signature. Instead, it helps guide Congress in framing how it wants to consider all of the government agency appropriations bills. It will also serve as a Republican fiscal policy guideline and sets the stage for the 2016 preside...
There is nothing as sweet as a day in June. I’m not so sure about the rest of the country, but that really holds true for Alaska. When the leaves start bursting out of their pods, and the sun shines until midnight, I know I picked the right state to live in. Medigap policies in Alaska I have recently been asked about additional insurance if one has Medicare. If you have Medicare, both parts A and part B, you can also buy a supplemental insurance policy, sometimes called Medigap (a policy that f...
People with Medicare have the right to be treated with respect. This means you are not discriminated against for any reason and your health information is kept private. All hospitals in Alaska post a Patient Bill of Rights. These meet guidelines from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS contracts with a national service to make sure your concerns and complaints are acted on quickly. These national services are called quality improvement organizations. You may be asked to sign a paper or electronic pad that you know you have...
Do you have a health savings account (HSA) at work? You may have enjoyed the comfort of an HSA account during your work life, knowing the money for your health needs would be there. Did you know that once you turn 65 and begin receiving Medicare, you can no longer make contributions to your health savings account? But you can still take withdrawals tax-free, to pay for many of your medical expenses. Among other things, you can: • Use your HSA money to reimburse yourself for the money that Social Security withholds from your benefits for M...
After 17 temporary fixes over the past 11 years, Congress has approved legislation permanently blocking perennial cuts in physicians’ Medicare fees. In a rare show of genuine bipartisanship, the House and Senate both overwhelmingly passed the bill. It should become easier for doctors to make a living while taking Medicare patients and help seniors keep their doctors who accept Medicare. In a 1997 budget agreement, Congress set up a formula, known as the Sustainable Growth Rate, or the SGR, which called for annual cuts in Medicare physician p...
Comparing services using the Medicare website This month, I am going to use the Medicare website (which you too can easily use at www.Medicare.gov/home health care). The three homes I picked out to compare are the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, the Hospice & Homecare of Juneau and the Mat-Su Regional Home Care. The first two are privately owned and the third is proprietary. All three of these institutions compare favorably as to Nursing Care, Physical, Occupational and Speech therapy, Medical...
The Medicare Minute Program is making its debut in Alaska. Launched in the summer of 2014 by the Medicare Information Office, it is quickly becoming a popular tool for seniors to educate their peers about their Medicare benefits and to protect themselves from Medicare Fraud. The brainchild of the Medicare Rights Center, Medicare Minutes was created and launched in New York in 2001. Medicare Minutes are short, engaging presentations on timely Medicare topics that are presented at local sites on a monthly basis. Volunteers are provided with...
We read a piece in Market Watch recently about the state of retirees today and the problems they won’t tell us about. If Market Watch is correct, and we have no reason to doubt it, then we would like to share some of our solutions to these listed difficulties. (Read the Market Watch article at http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-things-retirees-wont-tell-you-2014-09-19) ‘Retirees are broke.’ According to the Census Bureau’s Supplemental Poverty Measure, the article notes, roughly 15 percent of people over age 65 live in poverty. Also, nearly...
A currently airing commercial proclaims that if you have Medicare Part A & B, you are eligible for Vision, Dental, and Prescription Drug plans because of Medicare Healthcare Reform. This commercial gives a 1-800-number that when called tries to sell you a Life Alert type monitoring system or they may be collecting information to sell to Medicare Supplement Brokers or Medicare Advantage Plan Brokers. Be on the lookout and share this information with your friends, neighbors, and relatives. The more people who are warned, the better the chances...
What retirement ‘security’? The United States ranked 19th in a recent international assessment of retirement security worldwide. This places the U.S. just behind France and just ahead of Slovenia in the rankings, while Switzerland, Norway and Australia took the top three positions. Nations were ranked in four categories: finances in retirement, health, quality of life and well-being. The United States’ comparatively low level of retirement benefits, in addition to a lack of workplace retir...
For the second time in three years, the U.S. Supreme Court could determine the fate of the president’s health care law with a case coming up for oral arguments in March. While a limited number of seniors are covered under the health care law, a Court decision could have a big impact financially on your health care costs if the High Court rules the law unconstitutional. With President Obama controlling the veto pen over Congress, lawmakers and the White House will continue their health care legislative standoff. Two years ago, the Supreme Court...
Julius Caesar was told to beware of the “ides of March” and that used to be a warning to us, too, to get our taxes done by the 15th. But the great IRS decided to give us another month, and so we can now relax until the 15th of April. Most seniors, if their income is only from Social Security, will not have to file for taxes anyway. Since this is the 50th anniversary year for the Medicare program, I am reiterating the following information for people who are new to Medicare and/or for the peo...
While we know diabetes can lead to complications and terrible health conditions, we also know diabetes can be managed and quality of life improved. Getting control of diabetes involves the whole person. Though managing your diabetes may feel overwhelming, the key is to work on two or three actions that lead to positive change. A combination of education and support can set you up for success. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sponsors a program called “Everyone with Diabetes Counts.” This program helps families and people wit...
For veterans, seeing temporary politicians take a knife to the military budget is nothing new. For some elected officials, low hanging fruit like retirement pay and TRICARE health care insurance is an easy choice since it directly affects so few voters. For those of us who began their military career with a “Greeting from Uncle Sam” letter from the draft board, we assumed we had a contract with the federal government. That contract was that if we spend 20 years in the military, we would be rew...
Older Persons Action Group, Inc. and the Social Security Administration are teaming up to present an educational forum, “Social Security: Everything You Always Wanted to Ask,” on March 10, from 6 to 7 p.m. The event will take place in Anchorage but people who sign up can call to listen and ask questions from anywhere in the state, via an 800 number Robin Schmidt, Social Security Public Affairs Specialist for the State of Alaska (and frequent Senior Voice contributor) will address what Social Security can mean to you and your family’s finan...
Older Persons Action Group, Inc. and the Social Security Administration are teaming up to present an educational forum, “Social Security: Everything You Always Wanted to Ask,” on March 10, from 6 to 7 p.m. The event will take place in Anchorage and be teleconferenced statewide. Robin Schmidt, Social Security Public Affairs Specialist for the State of Alaska (and frequent Senior Voice contributor) will address what Social Security can mean to you and your family’s financial future. She will discuss the basics of Social Security retirement benef...
Happy Shortest Month of the Newest Year! To those of you who bought the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plan, I am sorry to tell you that there was incorrect information about pharmacies who participated in Aetna’s 2015 Part D website during the open enrollment period. Community pharmacists and beneficiary advocates say that the situation is problematic but the National Community Pharmacists Association called the situation a “bait and switch” on beneficiaries. Centers for Medicare and Medic...
Social Security announces as a result of Congress’ approval of the fiscal year 2015 budget, the agency will expand its hours nationwide and offices – including Alaska’s three offices – will be open to the public for an additional hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, effective March 16, 2015. A field office that is usually open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. will remain open until 4 p.m. Offices will continue to close to the public at noon every Wednesday so employees have time to complete current work and reduce backlogs. In recent years,...
Medicare is like a government octopus, with its tentacles stretching into almost every aspect of senior life. With its policies affecting 50 million beneficiaries, this agency has a lot going on simultaneously. Sometimes, policies it puts in place get lost in the shuffle, as it has with its obesity program (see below). Other times, people figure out how to game the system, resulting in huge fraud and abuse. So as often happens at year end, the agency, formally known as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), has been issuing...
