Medicare identification information should be treated the same as your social security number, only you and those closest to you should know it. If you start giving it to every random person that you know you will be starting the countdown to financial problems and privacy issues. Protect your confidential information so that you don’t have to worry about people taking your finances away.

As for suppliers that are providing you with Medicare supplies you should never share with them any of your sensitive information like your Medicare ID because they don’t need it. If you don’t know the person discussing your Medicare information with you refrain from sharing anything at all that you would consider personal and confidential.

Keeping your records safe and confidential is important and an Electronic Health Record is the best way for Medicare to do this. Easy sharing of the information between healthcare providers will make it easy for you to see new doctors or specialists.

• The chances of medical errors, duplicate tests and quality care will improve with the use of EHRs. The process is automatically more efficient when you consider the speed that the information is shared with.

• Your conditions, tests, prescriptions and treatments are available and up-to-date for all doctors. When getting a second opinion or you are going to see that specialist your files will automaticallybe available.

Medicare Part B doesn’t cover insulin (unless used with an insulin pump), insulin pens, syringes, needles, alcohol swabs, or gauze. This can be discouraging but your list of what is not covered then switches to where you can find coverage if you need it.  Insulin and certain medical supplies used to inject insulin, such as syringes, gauze, and alcohol swabs, may be covered under Part D.

If you use an external insulin pump, insulin and the pump may be covered as durable medical equipment.  This is good news as you will have to pay some money to care for your diabetes.  In 2011, you pay your responsibility of 100% for insulin (unless used with an insulin pump, then you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount) and 100% for syringes and needles, unless you have Part D.

Medicare, like most insurance companies, doesn’t cover all procedures that are related to your body as some are not deemed to be medically necessary.  Two of these types of procedures are cosmetic surgery procedures and custodial care as they are not believed to be a necessity.  The reasons that Medicare perceives these procedures this way are listed below.

Cosmetic Surgery

Medicare generally doesn’t cover cosmetic surgery unless it’s needed because of accidental injury or to improve the function of a malformed body part. Medicare covers breast reconstruction if you had a mastectomy because of breast cancer, this is a different approach as this was due to a covered condition instead of just cosmetic.

Custodial Care (help with activities of daily living, like bathing, dressing, using the bathroom, and eating)

Medicare doesn’t cover custodial care when it’s the only kind of care you need. In other words, if you need care in relation to a covered condition it could be covered.  Care is considered custodial when it helps you with activities of daily living or personal needs and could be done safely and reasonably by people without professional skills or training.

If you have hemophilia, End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), or a condition that increases your risk for infection you could be at higher risk for Hepatitis B.  Other factors may increase your risk for Hepatitis B, so check with your doctor.  You pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount, and the Part B deductible applies when you go to have this procedure done.

It may be scary to you to have these types of test done because the results can be so scary if you do indeed test positive.  However, the early detection and prevention of this type of situation is something that you will want to have on your side.  Don’t hesitate to go get yourself screened if you are at risk for Hepatitis B.

To begin, understand that your Medicare benefit period begins the day that you are checked into a medical facility for treatment for a condition.  This is good for you because there is a guarantee that your Medicare benefits will kick in the day that you need them and not a second too early or late.  Now, you ask, how is it determined when the Medicare benefit period will come to an end for these Medicare benefits?

Your Medicare benefit period will end when you haven’t received any inpatient care for the condition for at least 60 consecutive days.  As you can tell this gives you the opportunity to get your condition rectified before the next Medicare benefit period begins and another deductible is introduced.  Your Medicare benefit period is designed with your best interests in mind.

This information has been detailed in a new Commonwealth Fund report. The report talks about how stable, affordable coverage can be given to all young adults. This would be possible if health coverage is extended by expanding Medicaid. In addition a health insurance exchange could help this process.

The report talks about the reasons for young adults becoming uninsured and what can be done about it. Graduation from high school  turning 19 means being uninsured for many. They are dropped from parents policies and become ineligible for Medicaid and SCHIP. Jobs do not come easily and the ones which do often do not provide health benefits.
Due to the many transitions young adults face in life, they are less likely to be uninsured. They need stable, affordable coverage which can protect them in the event of a serious illness. Young adults are far more uninsured as a percentage than other groups. As a result they often face medical debt and do not have a regular doctor.

This makes it critical that young adults have access to comprehensive health insurance that is continuous at a time of serious transitions in their life.

Just by choosing a different drug plan seniors could save several hundred dollars a year. There are so many choices that choosing the correct plan is a challenge. Choices should be limited and beneficiaries should be empowered to make cost effective and informed decisions about the prescription drug plan.

Hanock and colleagues conducted this research. The consumer behavior patterns of almost 200 healthy individuals who were over the age of 65 years was studied. It was found that with an increase in the number of plans available, the likelyhood of picking the plan with the lowest annual costs reduced.

Facts about the plans were also not well understood. Although older adults were not as good at choosing plans than younger ones, they were certain that the decisions were correct. The study also showed a number of other interesting findings. The study is titled “How Much Choice Is Too Much? The Case of the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit”

A draft bill has been released that links Medicare for inpatient hospital care to the quality of care provided rather than quantity of services offered. This, according to a CQ Healthbeat Report. This legislation says that this policy would begin in fiscal 2012 and be fully operational in fiscal 2009. During this time there would be an increase in Medicare reimbursement levels of 1 to 2 percent.
Quality standards would be based on a list of measures set by various medical organizations, for example the National Quality Forum. This is the draft bill by lawmakers Sen Baucus and ranking member Chuck Grassley. These incentives are likely to increase the quality of medical care and reduce the costs involved.

The right pieces of puzzles are all part of the bill but as it evolves there is a greater need for specificity. Everyone needs to have a good understanding of their roles according to Chip Kahn from the Federation of American Hospitals.

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.

If you are healthy and don’t mention that you have had health issue, then your premium is lower. There are serious flaws in the system that need to be fixed. Perhaps health insurance needs to begin rewarding health behavior just like it penalizes illnesses. For example if I go to the gym 5 days a week and produce the evidence, charge me a lower premium. I practice yoga every day…and my blood pressure has gone normal, cholesterol is low, depression has disappeared, charge me a lower premium. How about it then?