Medicare Updates
Humana Significantly Expands Medicare Advantage Health Plan Offerings in 2023 with Focus on Greater Value for Members
$0 premiums, dental and Rx benefit enhancements, new allowances, a USAA co-branded plan, and simplified access to prescriptions offer more options for beneficiaries LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) today released details of its Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plan offerings for 2023 – with a clear focus on benefits and support based on what its members have said they want and need. The news [...]
Wellcare Expands Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Offerings for 2023
Attributed to PR Newswire TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 3, 2022 Wellcare Medicare Advantage plans available in 209 new counties Wellcare will offer a total of 102 Prescription Drug Plans nationwide Value Based Insurance Design (VBID) model to improve health outcomes and lower costs for members with low-income subsidy on all Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) Amazon added to preferred retail pharmacy network† TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- [...]
Expanding Medicare Advantage in 2023
Original article published on beckerspayer.com by Jakob Emerson With the Medicare annual enrollment period set to begin Oct. 15, payers nationwide are greatly expanding their Medicare Advantage plans to new states and hundreds of new counties in 2023. Where providers are expanding MA plans next year: Aetna The CVS Health insurance arm said Oct. 1 it is expanding MA coverage to 141 new counties and 1 million more Medicare-eligible individuals [...]
Don’t Miss It – Open Enrollment is Happening Now!
It is arguably the most important time of year for Medicare beneficiaries. Starting October 15th and running through December 7th, anyone enrolled in Medicare can make changes to their plans. When you turned 65, you became eligible for Medicare, Parts A and B most likely. As new needs and ailments pop up, you might start questioning if you made the right decision, selecting the best plan for your needs. [...]
Are Medicare Advantage Plans Bad?
The Medicare system has been around for over 50 years, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to understand. Oftentimes people try enrolling on their own without any assistance, the process can be hard to understand and the end result is that Medicare Advantage plans get a bad name. Many people enroll and are happy with the benefits specific to their Medicare Advantage plan. Unfortunately, a large number of people [...]
Experts Say Medicare Can Help You Stay Independent In Your Home Longer
Tens of millions of Americans on Medicare may be missing out on desperately needed help paying for rent or utilities. See if you qualify and get this benefit as soon as the first of next month. Medicare is rapidly expanding its benefits, but it is so complicated, few people know this new benefit is available to them. In Medicare-speak, help with rent and utilities is called "General Supports For Living." [...]
Don’t Let Medicare Overwhelm You
Medicare has been around for 50 years. You’d think in all that time, things would have gotten easier, but sadly, it’s just become MORE confusing and more complicated. If you are approaching 65, you’ve likely started getting bombarded with calls, emails, and direct mail pieces. As you start looking over them, you’ve probably gotten confused more than once by the terminology, multiple dates to remember, enrollment instructions, and part options. [...]
Does Medicare Cover Service Animals?
There are approximately 500,000 service animals helping people in the United States. These dogs are incredible thanks to much training. Not to mention, dogs are amazingly awesome even before training. A service dog can detect if someone with diabetes has dangerously low blood sugar, help guide visually impaired folks to wherever they want to go, cope with PTSD or sever depressions and even protect a handler who is having a [...]
Turning 65? Get Ready for Medicare!
If you are a US citizen age 65 or older and need medical insurance, congratulations! You are eligible to enroll in Medicare. Medicare is separate from your Social Security application for income benefits. You age into Medicare at 65, regardless of whether you are taking your retirement income benefits yet. However, don’t expect Medicare to notify you when it’s time to sign up. You need to be mindful of the [...]
Are You Getting All The Medicare Benefits You Can?
Did you know most people aren’t getting all the Medicare benefits they deserve? Many folks are automatically enrolled in Medicare when they turn 65. Original Medicare, Parts A and B, cover many expenses. In general, these are the parts that make up Medicare: Part A = inpatient hospital coverage Part B = outpatient medical coverage Part C = known as Medicare Advantage, available through private companies Part D = prescription drug coverage However, [...]
Can I Save Money on Medicare?
After turning 65, and enrolling into Original Medicare, there is a period of time where you are able to change your plans, and switch to a Medicare Advantage Plan. Many folks choose to change plans to get more benefits. The biggest reasons for people wanting to change include not having enough benefits for routine vision, hearing, or dental. Additionally, people who are traveling internationally realize that they don’t have [...]
What Does Medicare NOT Cover?
As you turn 65 and start utilizing your Medicare, you will find that while there are plenty of things your Medicare covers, there are things it doesn’t cover. If you are coming off an employee health care plan, you might be surprised to learn that Original Medicare, Parts A and B, don’t cover everything your employer plan did. This doesn’t mean you can’t get coverage for those things, it simply [...]
Don’t Delay on Medicare Part B
Ahh, Medicare. Its complexity is what makes it so wonderful and yet so, well, confusing. Today, we hope to help break down any confusion around Medicare Part B. A large majority of folks wait around for a letter to tell them if they need to sign up. We hate to be the ones to break this to you but, there is no letter. So will you be automatically enrolled? Or [...]
Do All Doctors Take Medicare?
Finding a good doctor can be challenging. Many people change doctors over the years until they find one they trust, feel comfortable and confident with. So it’s no surprise that when we start to age into Medicare, we wonder – and worry – if our beloved doctor will accept Medicare. The truth is, not all doctors do accept Medicare for the patients they see. This can be problematic as it [...]
Will Medicare Cover Naturopathic Treatments?
Natural medicine is becoming more and more popular, and more and more recognized. People are seeing the value in holistic and functional medicines and opting to work with naturopathic doctors over traditional, western doctors. Naturopathic medicine is a system that uses natural remedies to help the body heal itself. It embraces many therapies, including herbs, acupuncture, and chiropractic services. The goal of naturopathic medicine is to treat the whole person [...]