Tag Archives: medicare doctor fix

Medicare Beneficiaries Should Get in the Habit of Asking

Another constant reminder I recommend all my Medicare clients do is to always ask about prescription alternatives.   A recent study showed that doctors are easily influenced by drug company reps in what they should prescribe.  In many cases, these prescriptions are for costly Brand name drugs in which there is a lower cost alternative.  The study found that in many cases, a $12 complimentary meal to the doctor could end up costing patients hundreds of dollars more than the cost of a suitable equivalent.  I am not against the free market and how a company chooses to promote its products, but I want my clients to be aware of their choices.  If you want to read more about this study, you can click on the following link:  http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/06/20/drug-company-lunches-have-big-payoffs/?_r=0

So, my recommendation to my clients anytime their doctor prescribes something, is to always ask the doctor if there is a generic or lower cost drug available, do they have any samples they can provide and if the drug is totally necessary.

Based in the Richmond, Va area, David Higgs of Choices In Medicare specializes in helping seniors transition to Medicare.  He can be reached at email:  David@ChoicesInMedicare.com or go to website:  www.ChoicesInMedicare.com

Proposed Changes to Medicare Payments

CMS, who manages Medicare, has recently announced some proposed changes to how Medicare reimbursements will be made.  These proposals are targeting such areas as:  Hospital Observations status, Physicians, Skilled Nursing Facilities, Part B drugs, etc.  The various proposals are accepting comments in June.  The main goal of the proposed changes is to reward better patient health and cost efficiency.

You can check back on this blog for updates once these proposed changes have been finalized or go to CMS.gov.

Based in the Richmond, Va area, David Higgs of Choices In Medicare specializes in helping seniors transition to Medicare.  He can be reached at email address:  David@ChoicesInMedicare.com or go to website:  www.ChoicesInMedicare.com

Medicare Telehealth Bill

Earlier this month, a bipartisan bill was introduced in both the Senate and Congress to allow Telehealth services to be covered by Medicare.  The Medicare Telehealth bill would allow seniors to “see” a doctor from the convenience of their home via computer or smart phone device.  This could be extremely beneficial for seniors who are less mobile but have minor illnesses and just need a prescription.  Telehealth has been growing over the last few years and now could be extended to cover seniors.  It would be a “win-win” solution as it would save Medicare billions of dollars and provide conveniences to Medicare beneficiaries.  Stay tuned over next few months for progress on this bill.

To read more about this bill, click on the following link to the article:  http://www.bna.com/lawmakers-introduce-medicare-n57982066990/

We here at Choices In Medicare help people transition into Medicare.  If you have questions or need assistance obtaining Medicare Supplemental coverages, contact us at:  David@ChoicesInMedicare.com or go to our website at:  www.ChoicesInMedicare.com

Possible Increase in Medicare Part B Premium Costs

Medicare will be 50 years old this month and Medicare’s Board of Trustees released a report this week that among other things, indicated a possible significant increase in Medicare Part B Premiums beginning next year.  While this increase would potentially affect only about 30% of beneficiaries, it could be significant.  Part B premium increases are common but usually small.  The potential increase would primarily affect new beneficiaries and higher income beneficiaries.  The head of Medicare will make a final decision this October.  The report also reported that the Hospital fund is expected to be solvent until about 2030.  You can read more about the report in the article linked below.

If you have questions about Medicare, contact David Higgs of Choices In Medicare at www.ChoicesInMedicare.com.

http://khn.org/news/good-news-bad-news-in-medicare-trustees-report/

 

Medicare Testing New Bundled Payment Project

Medicare recently announced a new initiative for how they will pay providers for certain services.  They will try a Bundled Payment process for knee and hip replacements beginning in January in certain test markets.  In short, they will make a payment to cover the entire episode including rehab.  Then at the end of the year, they will make adjustments to increase or decrease payments based upon outcomes.  The goal is to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs at the same time.  More info is available in the article linked below.

http://www.richmond.com/business/local/article_6e28d914-ad76-5085-b1fb-d64d9f76b61c.html?_dc=135948543203.99463

If you have questions about Medicare Plans, contact us at ChoicesInMedicare.com

Medicare Coverage Helps with Preventive Care

While Medicare offers great options for more comprehensive coverages, Preventive care is one that is often overlooked.  Prevention is the best way to insure overall health.  Medicare has 2 categories of Preventive care:  “New to Medicare” and Yearly “Wellness” Visit.  To learn more about these types of services, you can go to the link listed below.

http://www.medicare.gov/coverage/preventive-visit-and-yearly-wellness-exams.html

How Difficult is it for Medicare Beneficiaries to Find a Doctor?

One of the more common questions I get from my Medicare Plan clients is regarding their ability to find a doctor who accepts Medicare.  For those that elect Original Medicare and may have a Medicare Supplement, the answer is good news.  Even though there are many news reports that make it seem like doctors are not accepting Medicare, I found data that shows that 91% of doctors accept new Medicare patients on a national average.  I find that it is even higher for patients who continue to see their current doctor.  The data showed that only about 1% of doctors have “opted out” of Medicare.  I searched the internet and the best data I could find was from an article about a year and a half ago that used data collected in 2012.  I will try to keep my clients updated as new data is made available.  If you want to read more about the study, click on the link below.

http://kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/medicare-patients-access-to-physicians-a-synthesis-of-the-evidence/

Bipartisan Effort to Fix Medicare Doc Payments

There is a rare, ongoing bipartisan effort in Congress to permanently fix the payment problem for doctors treating their Medicare patients.  In short, it will change the payment formula to stop the reductions by two primary methods.  One is to enact an income based adjustment for high income earners and Two, consider a deductible for Medicare Supplement policies.  Stay tuned for more info.  The link below describes current status in more detail.

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/medicare-doctors-john-boehner-nancy-pelosi-116097.html