Your parents say they couldn’t bear to lose their independence.
Their hearts are set on staying in their own home for the rest of
their days. And you understand. It’s what you’d like for them
too. But they’re not as young as they used to be. Not as strong
and on top of things. And you can’t help wondering if their plan
is really wise, or even feasible. So you worry.
In the first full year of the new healthcare law, 3.6 million
people in the government Medicare program saved $2.1 billion on
prescription drugs in 2011, the Obama administration announced
Thursday [February 2, 2012].
The savings are one of the first tangible benefits of the
sweeping overhaul that the president signed in March 2010.
Medicare is health insurance for people age 65 or older, under 65
with certain disabilities, and any age with End-Stage Renal
Disease (ESRD). ESRD is permanent kidney failure requiring
dialysis or a kidney transplant. The different parts of Medicare
help cover specific services if you meet certain conditions. Make
sure your coverage is working for you.
Medicare is a federally-governed insurance program. Medi-Cal
is an assistance program governed by the State of California and
financed equally by the state and federal governments.
People often are surprised to learn the first point of contact
for the Medicare program is Social Security, not the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Look for doctors and office staff who speak your family’s
language, or ask for an interpreter if you need one to talk to
your doctor or your child’s doctor. Certified medical
interpreters are trained to translate health information
correctly. They must keep your information private.
Signing up is simple, but don’t wait or benefits could be delayed
So you’re turning 65. Congratulations! It’s time to start taking
advantage of your Medicare benefits. And just how do you do that?
First, a quick overview of the benefits. Medicare Part A pays for
hospitalization, and many eligible people don’t have to pay
premiums for it. Part B covers doctor fees, outpatient care, home
health care, screenings for cancer, glaucoma, diabetes and other
diseases, and other medical services.
In the sleepy, riverside town of Palatka in northeast Florida,
86-year-old Betty Wills sees the advertisements of obstetricians
and gynecologists on the main road’s billboards and has found
specialists ranging from cardiologists to surgeons in the phone
book.
But there’s not a single geriatrician — a doctor who specializes
in treating the elderly — in all of Putnam County, where a fifth
of the county’s 74,000 people are seniors.
Gradually raising Medicare’s eligibility age from 65 to 67 would
save the federal government about $148 billion over a decade,
according to a Congressional Budget Office report released
Tuesday [January 10, 2012], The Hill’s “Healthwatch” reports.
The savings would come in part by shifting costs to elderly U.S.
residents.
Federal officials are extending the Dec. 7 deadline for three
days for some people enrolling in a Medicare prescription drug or
private health plan because of the crush of last-minute sign-ups.
Throughout Robert Joseph’s career, the Alvin, Texas, electrician
always understood his health insurance policies. “I’ve never had
a problem,” Joseph says, “until I tried to sign up for Medicare.”
With three weeks left for seniors to change their Medicare
prescription plan for 2012, a study released Wednesday [November
16, 2011] finds that copays for brand-name drugs are going
up — sharply in some cases.
Just weeks before the planned closure of adult day healthcare
centers throughout California, state officials and disability
rights attorneys reached a legal settlement Thursday [November
17, 2011] that preserves services for those low-income
seniors and disabled residents most at risk of being
institutionalized.
In the scramble to come up with a deficit-reduction deal by
Thanksgiving, members of Capitol Hill’s super committee appear to
have one group squarely in their cross hairs: high-income
Medicare beneficiaries.
The Obama administration today [October 27,2011] announced
that premiums for Medicare Part B coverage in 2012 will be $99.90
a month for most beneficiaries, a smaller-than-expected increase
over the $96.40 paid this year by a majority of elderly and
disabled beneficiaries. Part B pays for physician visits,
hospital outpatient costs and certain other services. A 3.6
percent Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, the first in
three years, will more than make up for the small increase,
according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
