Medicare

We cover everything you need to know about open enrollment in Medicare and the different open enrollment and special enrollment periods. When Is Medicare Open Enrollment? Medicare open enrollment lasts from October 15 to December 7 each year. Your coverage will start on January 1 of the new year. If you are already enrolled in… Read More

What is Plan F, Plan G, and Medigap? Once you have Medicare Part A and B, you can buy either Part D along with a Medigap Plan F or Plan G or a Medicare Advantage Plan. We discuss your options. A Medigap Plan F Covers the Part A hospital and Part B outpatient deductibles Covers… Read More

Medicare Doesn’t Cover Everything; Supplemental Medicare Can Help Original Medicare doesn’t cover everything, and this can result in high costs and coverage gaps. Supplemental Medicare coverage like Part D, Medigap, or Medicare Advantage (Part C) can help. Understanding What Medicare Does and Doesn’t Cover and What You Can Do About It Medicare enrollees lack crucial… Read More

What is the Difference Between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage Plans? We compare Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage to help you better understand the difference between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans. Both Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage are Federally regulated and ACA-compliant, but the fact that aspects of Medicare are privatized means there are significant… Read More

Who Oversees Medicare Costs? The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) provides cost and access oversight for the Medicare Program for quality of care and access to services. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 established the group, which is composed of 17 part-time members appointed for three-year terms by the Comptroller General. Some appointments expire each… Read More

What Does the “Death Panel” Rumor Have To Do With Medicare’s Independent Payment Advisory Board? We want to know the function of Medicare’s Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) and whether the rumor that it might be used as a “Death Panel” is true. What is IPAB? Medicare’s Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) is a group that does… Read More

Why do I Need to Know Which Drugs are Preferred in my Insurance Formulary or Which Physicians are In Network? We ask what drug formularies and preferred providers are and why you need to consider them when choosing a Medicare plan or any health insurance policy. Every insurance plan has a list of which drugs… Read More

Medicine and Medicare in the U.S. The U.S. has had a Medicare program since the mid-1900’s and has accepted a theoretical responsibility to take care of the elderly, veterans, and the poor. Improved standards of living have increased our life expectancy tremendously. It was not unusual to see people in this country live only through… Read More

Medicare and Hospital Costs: Medicare Networks, Medicare Assignment, Balance Billing, and Other Factors Related to Hospital Costs On this page, we discuss Medicare networks, Medicare assignment, balance billing, and the way hospital costs vary within a hospital (such as in the ER). Hospitals often charge more, sometimes a dozen times more, for services provided in the emergency… Read More