medicare Archives - Mediarabe

Trump’s Drug-Discount Cards Expected to Reach Medicare Recipients After Election

October 14, 2020

President Trump’s plan to send 33 million Medicare beneficiaries a card that can be used to help pay for as much as $200 in prescription drug costs won’t be completed until after the election, according to a person familiar with the plan.

The cards will be mailed in phases, with some likely going out later in October but most not until after the Nov. 3 presidential election, the person said. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is spending an estimated $20 million for administrative costs to print and send letters to Medicare beneficiaries informing them that they will be getting cards, the person said.

Plans for the overall drug-discount program have been sent to the Office for Management and Budget, the person said. It is unclear if or when the office will approve the program, which could cost $8 billion, the person said. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield offers Medicare Advantage plans with Essential Extras

October 13, 2020

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| Health And Wellness

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is committed to offering health and wellness services people need to be, and stay, healthy.

MISSOURI, USA — Medicare Open Enrollment may bring up a lot of questions for you, so Martin Esquivel is here to fill us in on some facts. Martin is the VP of Product Management for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Martin explains that original Medicare, or Medicare Part A and Part B, is Medicare Health Insurance available through the Federal government. Part A helps with items such as hospital costs and Part B helps with items such as Doctor’s office visits and outpatient care.

The Medicare Advantage plan is known as Part C. These are Medicare Health Plans offered by private health companies, such as Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. They also might offer additional benefits such as dental, vision, hearing, and preventative services.

Martin says that

Fact-check: Biden claims Trump is ‘pushing to slash Medicare benefits’

October 13, 2020

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| Health Benefits

“Donald Trump is lying about Medicare and Social Security. Trump is pushing to slash Medicare benefits.” – Voice-over in new Joe Biden campaign ad, released Oct. 9, 2020

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We were a little surprised when we first saw this ad, as we were unaware of any Trump proposal or policy effort to cut Medicare benefits. There is no citation or explanation given for this claim in the ad, which further puzzled us. Normally, attack ads try to offer verisimilitude by citing news articles or reports.

The explanation from the Biden campaign was also surprising, So let’s explore this claim in detail. It’s an interesting and complex story.

(Note: The ad further makes a Social Security claim that we have previously fact-checked as false. We will keep this fact check focused on the Medicare portion of the ad.)

The Biden campaign explained that this line hinged on the fact

Tufts Health Plan Medicare Plans Earn 5 Stars – the Highest Rating

October 13, 2020

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WATERTOWN, Mass., Oct. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — For an unprecedented sixth year in a row, Tufts Health Plan ’s Medicare Plans have once again been rated among the top health plans in the country.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rated Tufts Medicare Preferred HMO and Senior Care Options 5 out of 5 Stars in its annual Star Quality Ratings for 2021. With 400 plans rated nationally, this puts Tufts Health Plan’s Medicare plans in the top five percent nationally. Tufts Health Plan is one of only two plans in the country to receive this rating for six years in a row.

Tufts Health Plan’s Part D Prescription Drug Plan also received 5 Stars, the only plan to receive this rating in Massachusetts.

Tufts Health Plan has 105,000 members in its HMO and Senior Care Options plans, making it a market leader for both segments. In Massachusetts, it

Are you wasting money on Medicare supplement plans?

October 13, 2020

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| Health Plans

By Paul Davis | Contributing Writer

You may think this as a devious come-on from an unscrupulous insurance agent. But really, my intent is to try to connect with people who are truly overpaying on their present plans without realizing it.

If you watch TV, it’s difficult to avoid commercials for Medicare Advantage HMO plans that have zero monthly premium. Those plans are great for people who have doctors contracted with those plans and comfortable with the HMO concept. FYI, some of those plans include providers contracted with UCLA and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Many people find that surprising.

But this article is more for those people who want to have freedom of choice and do not mind paying a monthly premium for a Medicare Supplement (also known as a Medi-gap) plan.

If you’re on a Plan J, which has not been sold since 2010, you are on the richest standardized

Biden’s claim that Trump is ‘pushing to slash Medicare benefits’

October 13, 2020

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| Health Article

The explanation from the Biden campaign was also surprising, So let’s explore this claim in detail. It’s an interesting and complex story.

The Facts

The Biden campaign explained that this line hinged on the fact that President Trump is backing a lawsuit that would nullify the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The Trump administration filed a legal brief on June 25 asking the Supreme Court to strike down the entire law, joining with a group of GOP state attorneys general who argue that the ACA is unconstitutional. The court will hear arguments in the case, known as California v. Texas, on Nov. 10.

The case hinges on the fact that Trump’s 2017 tax law in effect eliminated the ACA’s individual mandate penalty by reducing it to zero. Without the mandate, the whole law should fall, rather than just individual portions, the plaintiffs argue. Trump decided to embrace

Alignment Healthcare Adds MemorialCare Hospitals and Doctors to 2021 Medicare Advantage Provider Network

October 12, 2020

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Nationally ranked nonprofit health system and Medicare Advantage insurance provider sign agreement to expand access to care for Medicare-eligible beneficiaries in Southern California

MemorialCare, a leading nonprofit health system in Southern California with hundreds of primary care and specialty providers, four top hospitals and 200 locations, is joining Alignment Healthcare’s Medicare Advantage provider network starting Jan. 1, 2021, expanding its scope of coverage to 2 million Medicare-eligible residents in Los Angeles and Orange counties.¹

This means that Medicare beneficiaries who enroll in select plans from Alignment – named one of four 2020 Best Insurance Companies for Medicare Advantage in California by U.S. News & World Report – will have access to MemorialCare’s hospitals, health centers and urgent care locations and may seek “in-network” care from physicians associated with MemorialCare Medical Foundation. Medicare’s annual enrollment period for the 2021 plan year begins Oct. 15.

“As part of Alignment’s network, we

The Best Time to Switch From a Medicare Advantage Plan to a Medigap Plan

October 11, 2020

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Last of a three-part series.

Medicare’s annual election period runs from Oct. 15 through December 7.

And that’s the best time to switch from a Medicare Advantage plan to a Medigap plan, according to Jae Oh, author of Maximize Your Medicare.

According to Oh, it’s critical that your Medigap carrier your application before you switch out of your Medicare Advantage and sign up for a standalone Part D plan. The worst outcome, he says, would be to have your Medigap application denied and choose a Part D plan. That would “eject” the Medicare Advantage plan that you may have in place and leave you without additional health benefits, said Oh.

Watch Oh’s videos on the topics on YouTube. Also read Buying your Medigap policy.

So, why might you switch from a Medicare Advantage plan to a Medigap plan?

There are a few reasons, according to Oh. The annual contracts are

Thousands of local seniors left scrambling as financial woes strike Medicare Advantage plan

October 11, 2020

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A Southern California insurance company’s financial woes are sending thousands of seniors in Santa Clara and San Joaquin counties scrambling for health care coverage amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

More than 10,000 people in the two counties enrolled in Vitality Health Plan’s Medicare Advantage option — insurance that provides expanded Medicare coverage — after it began serving the area in January 2019, attracted by good benefits and promises of inexpensive medication. But for many, the company’s offerings turned out to be too good to be true.

“If my parents were on the plan, I would move them,” said Patricia Salas, president of SBHIS Insurance Services, a company that enrolled elderly residents in Vitality’s supplemental Medicare plan and is now hustling to help them find alternatives.

The main issue is Vitality’s dire financial situation. The company is required to maintain what’s called tangible net equity — basically a few million dollars

CarePlus Health Plans Medicare Advantage Plan Achieves 5-Stars Third Year in a Row

October 10, 2020

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It’s the third year in a row, and the fourth time overall, that the company achieves the highest possible rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

MIAMI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
CarePlus Health Plans, Inc.’s Medicare Advantage members across Florida again can take comfort in knowing that they are enrolled in a health plan that has achieved the highest possible quality rating for the 2021 plan year from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). It’s the third year in a row, and the fourth overall, that the company’s Medicare Advantage HMO plan achieved a 5-Star rating. CarePlus is a subsidiary of Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM).

Bruno Piquin, CarePlus President, attributes the company’s success to its emphasis on creating the best possible member experience.

Orlando area CarePlus member Joan Carucci agrees. “They listen to you. They talk to you, they kid with you, but yet they’re very