The 2009 Medicare prescription and Medicare Advantage plan options were announced by CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems. About 97 percent or medicare beneficiaries who are enrolled in a PDP will be able to access Medicare drug and health plans in 2009. The premiums would be less than those of 2008 or the same.
In the fourth year of Medicare Part D prescription drug program, there was a high rate of satisfaction among beneficiaries as well as a high rate of participation according to Weems. There is a change in offerings from plans from year to year. It might be better for beneficiaries to review and change their plans if necessary in their best interest.
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After the upheaval on Wall Street last week, concerned Virginians held a conference outside McCain;s campaign headquarters in Arlington. The issue was to challenge a new article by McCain in a magazine. In the article McCain calls for deregulation of health insurance. He equates this deregulation to the way the banking sector was deregulated.
This article was published in the September/ October issue of Contingencies. This is the magazine of the American Academy of Actuaries. McCain is looking to put American health care in grave risk with his approach to the same. According to McCain opening up health insurance to vigorous nationwide competition will benefit the American people.
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Universal Health coverage should be the federal governments responsibility was the topic of debate in a contest sponsored by the Rosenkranz Foundation. At a packed hall in the Rockefeller University’s Caspary Auditorium in New Your City, 58 percent voted for the motion and 34 percent voted against it at the debate conclusion.
The Speakers were Art Kellerman, Paul Crugman, Michael Rachlis, Michael F. Cannon, Sally C. Pipes and John Stossel. The debate was moderated by John Donvan an ABC News correspondent. Robert Rozenkranz, chairman of the Rosenkranz Foundation said he was thrilled with the way the third season had started. Lively debate of important issues is very important he said. Read more…
Lets start with how health insurance began. Some decades back, hospitals ran on donations and health care was not prohibitively expensive so as to require health insurance. Soon employees began to receive health insurance as a benefit, a perk. Soon it became a standard fringe benefit. Soon medical costs rose and it became very expensive to see a doctor. Enter the insurance company.
They started as a way to help tackle costs. They ensured that no unnecessary expenses were made. Soon in the interests of profitability these companies raised insurance premiums. They paid doctors less and charged patients more. More cash landed in the Insurance company’s account. Now the profit motivation is so high that pre existing conditions are penalized by insurance companies.
Allsup is expanding the services it offers to people with disabilities. The Allsup Medicare AdvisorSM offers personal unbiased help to the disabled when making Medicare choices. Both financial as well as health well being is taken care of by this program. Allsup has been representing tens of thousands of people in the SSDI program each year.
Says Paul Grada - there are dozens of Medicare programs but all are not equal. Selecting the optimalMedicare program is not easy - it is a challenge in itself. Even after spending hours going through plan information, people may pick the wrong plan. The Medicare packages are fairly complicated and this is why professional help is needed to pick the best Medicare plan for a person.
Over 8 Million dollars in federal grants is to go to seven states. This is part of an effort to increase awareness of alternative long term care options. The alternative to traditional nursing homes is home and community based long term care options. This has come out of a statement by Acting Administrator, CMS, Kerry Weems.
The grant money is part of the RCSC grant program. The Real Choice Systems Change is meant to help a rebalancing of long term support programs by states and territories in a manner that people with chronic illnesses or disabilities who reside in their homes and participate in community. Read more…
An order reversing a 10 percent reduction in Medi-Cal reimbursement rates has been amended. The reduction was for heath care providers, which is now only for services on or after Aug 18. The state is now spared a lot of money in reimbursements – tens of millions of dollars.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and California lawmakers in February approved the reduction to address the estimate $15.2 bn state deficit. US district judge Snyder issued an injunction requiring Cal to reverse the reduction.
On Thursday, the Georgia Department of Community Health board approved a plan to charge commercial HMO’s fees just like managed care companies. This is being done to offset a 5% increase in program funding as reported by the Savannah Morning News.
Rhonda Medows, Community Health Commissioner said that the changes are as required by new federal rules. By delaying and not revoking an increase in doctor and hospital reimbursements to July 1, 2009, hospitals would have enough reason to avoid layoffs and other drastic measures.