Posts Tagged ‘Medicare Help’
Once you decide that you want prescription drug coverage, think about what matters most to you. There are a range of plan options available, so you can focus on the kind of coverage you prefer. There are two ways you can get your Medicare drug coverage.You can add drug coverage to the traditional Medicare plan through a “stand alone” prescription drug plan.
Or you can get drug coverage and the rest of your Medicare coverage through a Medicare Advantage plan, like an HMO or PPO, that typically provides more benefits at a significantly lower cost through a network of doctors and hospitals. No matter what type of plan you choose, you can choose a plan that reflects what you want in terms of cost, coverage and convenience. Read the rest of this entry »
Now, you can help someone you care about apply for Extra Help with their Medicare prescription drug plan costs. Anyone who has Medicare can get Medicare prescription drug coverage. Some people with limited resources and income also are eligible for Extra Help to pay for the costs—monthly premiums, annual deductibles, and prescription co-payments—related to a Medicare prescription drug plan. The Extra Help is estimated to be worth an average of $3,900 per year.
Many people qualify for these big savings and don’t even know it. To find out if someone is eligible, Social Security will need to know the value of their savings, investments and real estate (other than their home), and their income. If they are married and living with their spouse, we will need this information for both of them.
How will Electronic Records Express affect my work routines?
The fax and secure website options should integrate easily with existing work processes. If your records are already electronic, you will be able to upload files directly instead of printing. If your records are on paper, you can use the website by scanning, instead of photocopying your records or you can fax your records.
Why is the letter with the barcode so important?
SSA needs information about work that exists throughout the nation to determine whether claimants’ impairments prevent them from doing not only their past work, but any other work in the U.S. economy. SSA uses the DOT and its companion volume, the Selected Characteristics of Occupations (SCO), as the primary sources of information about jobs and job requirements. However, the Department of Labor last updated the DOT in 1991 and has no plans to conduct further updates. As a result, OPDR is developing short and long term strategies to obtain updated occupational information used in disability evaluation.
The short-term project consists of two parts: 1) Acquire existing, updated occupational information in a format consistent with the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), and 2) Obtain the services of an Independent Evaluator who will assess the accuracy and reliability of this occupational information. The goal of the short-term project is to provide SSA with updated occupational information that will be formatted in a manner consistent with the format and definitions found in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT). This updated occupational information will provide disability adjudicators with updated occupational information that can be seamlessly incorporated into SSA’s disability adjudication process while long-term solutions are developed.
The ADA specifically permits testing for illegal drug use. Drug tests are not regarded as medical examinations for employment purposes. Companies may elect to apply these tests to applicants or employees. The ADA specifically acknowledges that certain occupations, such as those in the transportation industry, may require such testing to ensure the welfare of the public. The ADA does not recognize a person who actively abuses illegal substances as having a disability. Applicants or employees abusing illegal drugs are not protected by the ADA on the basis of the drug use. A company may impose penalties on these employees and not be charged with discrimination.
Proposed Rule for Payment under the Ambulance Fee Schedule (AFS) published 5/26/06 (See AFS Regulations and Notices link.) Section 4531 (b) (2) of the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 added a new section 1834 (l) to the Social Security Act which mandated the implementation of a national fee schedule for ambulance services furnished as a benefit under Medicare Part B. The fee schedule is effective for claims with dates of service on or after April 1, 2002, and it applies to all ambulance services, including volunteer, municipal, private, independent, and institutional providers, i.e., hospitals, critical access hospitals (except when it is the only ambulance service within 35 miles), and skilled nursing facilities.
Section 1834 (l) also requires mandatory assignment for all ambulance services. Ambulance providers and suppliers must accept the Medicare allowed charge as payment in full and not bill or collect from the beneficiary any amount other than any unmet Part B deductible and the Part B coinsurance amounts.
Instructions on the Submission of OPPS ASP Data for Nonpass-Through Separately Payable Therapeutic Radiopharmaceuticals and Radiopharmaceuticals with Pass-Through Status. CMS has posted guidance for manufacturers who will be submitting ASP for radiopharmaceuticals in CY 2010. These instructions can be viewed by clicking on the document. Please note that in light of the imminent deadline for submitting ASP data for OPPS payment beginning on January 1, 2010, we encourage manufacturers wishing to submit ASP data for the January 2010 OPPS update to contact us immediately through the OPPS mailbox at OutpatientPPS@cms.hhs.gov (see Related Links Inside CMS below) so we can facilitate the submission process.
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Many seniors do not receive recommended preventive and primary care, leading to less effective and more expensive treatments. For example, 20 percent of women aged 50 and over did not receive a mammogram in the past two years, and 38 percent of adults aged 50 and over have never had a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy. Seniors in Medicare must pay 20 percent of the cost of many preventive services on their own. For a colonoscopy that costs $700, this means that a senior must pay $140 — a price that can be prohibitively expensive. Under health insurance reform, a senior would not pay anything for a screening colonoscopy or other preventive services. Reform will eliminate any deductibles, copayments, or other cost-sharing for obtaining preventive services, making them affordable and accessible.
Source: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/09/20090923b.html
The federal government pays private insurance companies on average 14 percent more for providing coverage to Medicare Advantage beneficiaries than it would pay for the same beneficiary in the traditional Medicare program. There is no evidence that this extra payment leads to better quality for Medicare beneficiaries, and all Medicare beneficiaries pay the price of these excessive overpayments through higher premiums — even the 78 percent of seniors who are not enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. A typical couple in traditional Medicare will pay on average nearly $90 next year to subsidize private insurance companies that do not provide their Medicare benefits. Health insurance reform will eliminate excessive government subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans, which could save the federal government, taxpayers, and Medicare beneficiaries well over $100 billion over the next 10 years.