The way in which Medicare repays a hospital for the services it provides to inpatient recipients can depend on several factors. What is the Difference Between Inpatient and Outpatient Stays? Knowing the difference between what counts as an outpatient or inpatient stay in a hospital can help you prepare for any cost-sharing obligations that may […]
What is the Medicare Phone Number?
Any time you have questions concerning your Medicare insurance coverage, you can use the various tools that the Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) and the Social Security Administration have put in place for your assistance. You can speak to a Medicare representative by calling their official toll-free phone number directly at 1-800-633-4227 (or […]
What is Railroad Retirement Medicare? Copy Copy
Ever since 1935, the United States Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) has been administering social insurance and retirement benefits to all railroad workers in the country. Railroad workers do not receive their retirement benefits from the U.S. Social Security Administration as other workers do. While the RRB provides railroad workers and their families with retirement benefits […]
2020 Medicare Advantage Guide – What to Know
From 1999 to 2019, Medicare Advantage (Part C) enrollment almost doubled, as reported by Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), rising from 18% of Medicare beneficiaries to over 34% across this time period. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) expects sign-ups to increase to about 47% by 2029, noting that Medicare beneficiaries with Part C reached […]
How Does Medicare Work with Employer Insurance?
More and more people are starting to work past the traditional retirement age of 65 and continue to get healthcare benefits through their employer. When this happens, and they also have Medicare benefits, questions arise. Understanding how Medicare works with your employer’s health insurance benefits or your spouse’s job can help you decide if you […]
How Does Medicare Donut Hole Work?
Have you heard of the Medicare “donut hole?” Maybe you just enrolled in Medicare Part D to help with your prescription drug coverage. If so, you could wonder about the different Part D benefit stages. There is a coverage gap known as the donut hole that you have to be aware of when you enroll […]
What is the Medicare Savings Program?
The cost of Medicare benefits in the form of premiums, coinsurance, copayments and deductibles can raise concerns about affordability, especially when you are on a limited income. For Medicare recipients under a certain income and asset level, Medicare benefits can be cost prohibitive. A Medicare Savings Program (MSP) is designed to cover all or part […]
How Does the Medicare Deductible Work?
Your deductible is the amount of money you have to pay for your prescriptions and healthcare before Original Medicare, other insurance, or your prescription drug plan starts paying for your healthcare expenses. The Medicare Part B deductible for 2020 is $198 in 2020. This deductible will reset each year, and the dollar amount may be […]
How Do Medicare Benefits and Medicaid Work Together?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) manages the social health programs called Medicare and Medicaid. These programs are specially designed to help disabled, senior, and low-income people afford health coverage. These two health insurances cover two different population sectors. Medicaid helps low-income individuals while Medicare benefits are available based on age or disability. […]
How Much Does Medicare Pay for Cataract Surgery?
Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness in the world, and more than 50% more adults over 80 in the United States choose to have cataract surgery. Most of the people in this age group have Medicare insurance. It’s important to know what aspects of your cataract surgery your Medicare coverage encompasses. This way, you […]
What is the Medicare Fee Schedule?
When Medicare recipients visit their doctors, the medical office will typically ask for a portion of the payment due that is not covered by Medicare. After meeting the Part B deductible, patients will usually pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for most services delivered by a physician. That is also the case for outpatient therapy […]
How Does Medicare Work in California?
More than 6.3 million people living in California currently use Medicare as their healthcare insurance provider. In addition, over 2.7 million individuals utilize Medicare Advantage Plans through private insurers, and a further 2.3 million people utilize prescription drug plans through Medicare. Medicare offers a number of different plans to their recipients, each of which provides […]
Will Medicare Cover the Shingles Vaccine?
The concern over getting shingles tends to grow as we age. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises people 60 years old and over to be vaccinated against shingles whether or not they remember ever having suffered from chickenpox, which is caused by the identical virus as shingles. No age limit has been […]
Does Medicare Cover Robotic Surgery?
Robotic technology has come a long way in recent decades, and today, the medical industry is able to utilize robotics for a large variety of services that require pinpoint accuracy and attention to detail. This is evident in the rise of robotics being used in surgical settings, and combined with remote control advancements, surgeons are […]
What Does Humana Medicare Dental Cover?
While Medicare benefits under Original Medicare fall short for certain types of coverage, there are ways to plug the gaps. Even if the coverage is sufficient today, there may be a need for more in the future. Waiting to look at all the options runs the risk of missing the open enrollment period when coverage […]
Top Medication Reminder Apps to Use on Your Smartphone or Tablet
Recent studies show that in the United States, 50 percent of people taking prescription drugs, or other types of medications, forget to take them on time, or forget to take them at all. For many people, keeping track of taking prescription drugs can be confusing, especially when there are different medications, different doses, and different […]
When is the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period?
If you are closing in on 65 years old, it may be time to start thinking about enrolling in Medicare. For people who are receiving Social Security benefits, the Social Security Administration (SSA) automatically enrolls you in Original Medicare Part A (hospital insurance), and Part B (medical insurance) three months before your 65th birthday. People […]
What is Railroad Retirement Medicare?
If you or a loved one is retiring form the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), you may be wondering how your benefits will work with Medicare. The RRB administers insurance and retirement benefits to all railroad workers in the country. Instead of getting retirement benefits from the U.S. Social Security Administration as other workers do, […]
How to Apply for Medicare Online
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is the entity that manages the Medicare insurance program. In partnership with CMS, Social Security manages enrollment in Medicare whether or not the beneficiary is collecting Social Security payments. Application for Medicare coverage only To sign up online, the first step is to create a My Social […]
Do Aetna Medicare Advantage Plans Offer Hearing Aid Benefits?
Hearing loss is a common condition for people after the age of 65. In fact, statistics show that in the United States one out of every three people between the age of 65 and 75 has some degree of hearing loss. After the age of 75, that percentage jumps up to 50 percent. Age-related or […]