Understanding Medigap Policies

The best way to address Medigap-related problems is to fix the coverage gaps in Medicare by adding an out-of-pocket cap as Medicare Advantage and most employer plans have. This would relieve beneficiaries of exposure to unlimited costs and would help eliminate the need for private supplemental insurance. But until these coverage gaps are filled, the National Committee supports improving Medigap by extending guaranteed issue protection to SSDI beneficiaries, to anyone who wishes to leave a Medicare Advantage plan at any time, and to individuals whose C and F Medigap plans will be discontinued.

We also support improvements in the Medicare plan finder and other beneficiary education tools to make consumers more aware of the gaps in Medicare coverage, and of the problems they could encounter in obtaining or changing a Medigap plan outside one of the specified enrollment periods.

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In case you have any doubt about the need for SHIP services consider this: today’s Medicare beneficiary must choose among more than 20 prescription drug plans, an average of 19 Medicare Advantage plans, as well as various Medigap supplemental insurance policies—all with different premiums, cost sharing, provider networks, and coverage rules.

via Entitled to Know.

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In case you have any doubt about the need for SHIP services consider this: today’s Medicare beneficiary must choose among more than 20 prescription drug plans, an average of 19 Medicare Advantage plans, as well as various Medigap supplemental insurance policies—all with different premiums, cost sharing, provider networks, and coverage rules.

via Entitled to Know.

Source: bit.ly medicare healthcare seniors SHIP politics p2 older americans elderly medicare advantage health care retirement retirees retirement crisis

bostonglobe.com

UnitedHealthcare to cut hundreds of Bay State doctors from its Medicare Advantage network

National insurance giant UnitedHealthcare plans to cut up to 700 Massachusetts doctors from its physician network for seniors enrolled in its private Medicare plan as a way to control costs, according to company officials. The move, effective Sept. 1, follows similar cuts made by the insurer to its Medicare Advantage provider networks in 11 other states, including in Rhode Island and Connecticut where the reductions drew outrage from patients, doctors, and lawmakers earlier this year.

The ongoing cuts by the country’s largest provider of privately managed Medicare Advantage plans has prompted lawsuits by doctors, state investigations, recent federal policy changes to better protect consumers, and pending legislation in Congress to prevent health plans from shedding its physician rolls mid-year.

New Medicare Advantage Rates Preserve Insurance Industry Subsidies…Again.

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reut.rs

U.S. government sets 3.40 percent hike in 2019 payments to Medicare...

The U.S. government on Monday said it would increase by 3.40 percent on average 2019 payments to the health insurers that manage Medicare Advantage insurance plans for seniors and the disabled, a higher-than-expected rise reflecting a projection of higher medical cost growth.
via Reuters.

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thedailynewsonline.com

Group takes issue with Collins' Medicare claims

The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare has taken issue with Rep. Chris Collins, R-Clarence, and his claims the Affordable Care Act has adversely impacted senior citizens enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plans, specifically that seniors in Collins’ congressional district have seen their plans cut by more than 16 percent.

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nyti.ms

Medicare Advantage Spends Less on Care, So Why Is It Costing So Much?

A lawsuit by the Justice Department accusing an insurer of excessive billing spotlights a paradox of the medical market.

Austin Frakt

The Medicare Advantage program was supposed to save taxpayers money by allowing insurers to offer older Americans private alternatives to Medicare. The plans now cover 19 million people, a third of all those who qualify for Medicare. Enrollee satisfaction is generally high, and studies show that plans offer higher quality than traditional Medicare. But the government pays insurers more than they pay out for patient care — in some years, it turns out, a great deal more.
via New York Times.

Related Reading:

Analysis of the 2017 Medicare Trustees Report.

The National Committee supports strengthening Medicare’s financing without shifting costs to beneficiaries by requiring pharmaceutical manufacturers to pay Part D drug rebates to the federal government and allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices.
These provisions, along with requirements in the law to slow the rate of increase in provider payments and reduce overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans, are necessary to prevent Medicare costs from becoming unsustainable for both beneficiaries and the federal government.

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“Now, there are some changes coming to Medicare that will make it more expensive for elders while also reducing coverage. This involves changes that Congress passed in 2015 to the supplementary (or “Medigap”) coverage.
(We are talking about... — Now, there are some changes coming to Medicare that will make it more expensive for elders while also reducing coverage. This involves changes that Congress passed in 2015 to the supplementary (or “Medigap”) coverage.
(We are talking about traditional Medicare today, not Medicare Advantage plans.)
Medicap policies pay most of the 20 percent or so of doctor and hospital costs that Parts A and B of Medicare do not cover. The choices of Medigap insurance plans are labeled by letters: A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, N.
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It’s Open Enrollment season…have you looked at your Medicare Part D and Advantage plans to ensure they still work for you?
Each year, both Medicare Advantage and Part D plans make changes to their benefits, cost-sharing, provider networks and monthly... — It’s Open Enrollment season…have you looked at your Medicare Part D and Advantage plans to ensure they still work for you?
Each year, both Medicare Advantage and Part D plans make changes to their benefits, cost-sharing, provider networks and monthly premiums. That means the plan that best served you in 2016 may not be the best plan for you next year.
via Entitled to Know.

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New analysis by the Center for Public Integrity of Medicare Advantage audits show that 35 of the 37 companies audited by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) overcharged the government by millions of dollars each year. By “upcoding” claims, insurance companies report patients as being sicker than they are and thus collect higher payments from Medicare.

via Entitled to Know.

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A new analysis by the National Institute on Retirement Security shows that #WomensRetirement income lags behind men’s. Our #EleanorsHope initiative is dedicated to helping close the gap between women & men when it comes to retirement savings and benefits. https://www.ncpssm.org/eleanors-hope/

Eleanor's Hope - NCPSSM

NCPSSM

NCPSSM — Understanding Medigap Policies

See, that’s what the app is perfect for.