Wednesday, August 17, 2011 . Part D Premiums to Remain SteadyMedicare average prescription drug premiums will not increase in
2012. The recent announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) comes as more people with Medicare are receiving discounts on
prescription drug costs and no-cost preventive services.
The national and regional premium data in the announcement can be
found here.
For state-by-state information on the number of Medicare
beneficiaries who have seen lower out-of-pocket costs in the donut hole, please
click here.
Source: AoA Aging News Update (August 15, 2011) Wednesday, September 29, 2010 Report says top ten Medicare Part D plans will increase premiums by 10%, but...
Point: A new analysis of government data by Avalere Health finds that premiums will go up an average of 10 percent among the top plans that have signed up some 70 percent of seniors. That's according to Avalere Health, a private research firm that crunched the numbers. Marketing for next year's drug plans gets under way Oct. 1, and seniors will see some of the biggest changes since the Medicare prescription benefit became available in 2006. More than 17 million are enrolled in private drug plans offered through Medicare." On the positive side, the program's benefits "will improve with a new 50 percent discount on brand-name drugs for those who land in the program's coverage gap, the dreaded 'doughnut hole.'" Avalere adds that three million seniors will see their plans discontinued.
Counterpoint: On the other hand, Vice President Joe Biden, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced that the nation’s pharmaceutical manufacturers will provide 50 percent discounts on the cost of covered brand-name prescription drugs for beneficiaries in the Medicare Part D coverage gap, or donut hole, starting in 2011. Vice President Biden and Secretary Sebelius made the announcement on a grassroots conference call with seniors from across the country. On the call, the Vice President and the Secretary discussed the benefits of the Affordable Care Act for seniors including the prescription drug discounts and provisions in the law that help fight fraud and make certain preventive care and annual wellness exams, free for most Medicare beneficiaries. Seniors and people with disabilities enrolled in Medicare drug plans will also find next year that through the use of the new tools provided by the Affordable Care Act, premiums are stable and the number of prescription drug plans that voluntarily help fill the donut hole has increased. In August, CMS reported that the average 2011 Medicare prescription drug plan premium will remain similar to rates beneficiaries are currently paying this year – an increase of $1. “Most Medicare prescription drug plan premiums will remain stable next year and beneficiaries will find there are clearer plan options and many plans that can help them save even more – like those plans that are offering benefits that help fill the donut hole,” said CMS Administrator Donald Berwick, M.D. “They will find that the Affordable Care Act improves the value of drug coverage they get next year.”
Source 1: Associated Press/Medical News Today (September 27, 2010)
Full story: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/202541.php
Source 2: HHS.gov (September 23, 2010)
Full story: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/09/20100923a.html
As the saying goes, I report, you decide. I guess only time will tell. Friday, August 13, 2010 Medicare to provide higher levels of preventive care
Preventive health care is important at any age, but never more so than as we get older. Many of the major cancers that can be screened for - such as breast and colorectal cancer - are typically diagnosed at about age 70. After age 55, people have a 90 percent chance of developing high blood pressure, putting them at higher risk for heart disease and stroke. "The payoff in terms of prevention in geriatrics is more upfront and more immediate," says geriatrician Peter Hollmann, chairman of the public policy committee for the American Geriatrics Society. Starting in January, the new health-care law will make it easier and cheaper for seniors to get preventive care. Medicare beneficiaries will be able to receive for free all preventive services and screenings that receive an A or B recommendation for seniors from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. That includes mammograms and colorectal cancer screening, bone mass measurement and nutritional counseling for people at risk for diet-related chronic diseases such as diabetes. Medicare beneficiaries will also get a free annual wellness visit under the new law. The visit will cover a number of services, including a health risk assessment and a review of the person's functional and cognitive abilities.
Source: Kaiser Health News (August 10, 2010)
Full story: http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Features/Insuring-Your-Health/health-law-expands-medicare-preventive-care-coverage.aspx
Wednesday, June 02, 2010 Donut hole rebates will be mailed out soon
Senior citizens who hit the so-called doughnut hole in Medicare's drug benefit will begin getting $250 rebate checks in two weeks, the Obama administration announced Thursday — providing one of the first tangible benefits of the recently enacted healthcare law. The rebates, designed in part to bolster support for the controversial law, are the first steps in a decade-long phase-out of the unpopular gap in Medicare Part D drug coverage. Seniors now enrolled in a Medicare Part D plan pay 25% of the cost of their prescription drugs until the total bill reaches $2,830. At that point, enrollees must pay the full cost of their prescriptions until their total out-of-pocket spending reaches $4,550. Catastrophic coverage then kicks in and enrollees pay 5% of drug costs for the rest of the year. Department of Health and Human Services officials said Thursday that the first 80,000 seniors who hit that coverage gap, or "doughnut hole," will be sent checks on June 10, five days before the deadline. Checks will then go out monthly until the end of the year as more seniors fall into the gap. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday that the department estimated slightly more than 4 million seniors will ultimately get rebates. "Seniors do not have to do anything to get this check. They don't have to sign anything. They don't have to apply for it," Sebelius said, warning recipients not to be fooled by scam artists seeking personal information by claiming it is necessary to process rebates. Starting in 2011, the rebate will be replaced by a discount. Seniors whose expenses fall within the doughnut hole will qualify for a 50% discount on drugs. That will be gradually phased up to a 75% discount in 2020, effectively eliminating the coverage gap.
Source: Los Angeles Times (May 27, 2010)
Full story: http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/27/nation/la-na-medicare-checks-20100528
Monday, March 08, 2010 Everything you ever wanted to know about Medicare but were afraid to ask...
This primer, prepared by the Kaiser Family Foundation explains the Medicare program in terms that even a lawyer can undestand. It explains key elements of the Medicare program, which now provides health coverage to 47 million people -- including 39 million people age 65 and older and another 8 million younger adults with permanent disabilities. It looks at the characteristics of the Medicare population, what benefits are covered, how much people with Medicare pay for their benefits and the program’s overall costs and future financing challenges.Here't the intro: Established in 1965, Medicare is a social insurance program, like Social Security, that provides health and financial security for individuals age 65 and older and for younger people with permanent disabilities. Prior to 1965, roughly half of all seniors lacked medical insurance; today, virtually all seniors have health insurance under Medicare. Medicare provides health insurance coverage to 47 million people – 39 million people age 65 and older and another 8 million people with permanent disabilities who are under age 65. The program helps to pay for many important health care services, including hospitalizations, physician services, and prescription drugs. Individuals contribute payroll taxes to Medicare throughout their working lives and generally become eligible for Medicare when they reach age 65, regardless of their income or health status. Comprising an estimated 12 percent of the federal budget and 20 percent of total national health expenditures, Medicare is often a significant part of discussions about how to moderate the growth of both federal spending and health care spending in the U.S.1 With the dual challenges of providing needed and increasingly expensive medical care to an aging population and keeping the program financially secure for the future, discussions about Medicare are likely to remain prominent on the nation’s
agenda in the years ahead.
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation (February 2010)
Read the primer: http://www.kff.org/medicare/7615.cfm
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Medicare Advantage premiums up 14%
Millions of seniors who signed up for popular private health plans through Medicare are facing sharp premium increases this year -- another sign that spiraling costs are a problem even for those with solid insurance. A study released Friday by a major consulting firm found that premiums for Medicare Advantage plans offering medical and prescription drug coverage jumped 14.2 percent on average in 2010, after an increase of only 5.2 percent the previous year. Some 8.5 million elderly and disabled Americans are in the plans, which provide more comprehensive coverage than traditional Medicare, often at lower cost. Lee Durrwachter, a retired chemical engineer from Grand Marais, Mich., said his premiums more than doubled this year -- even though he switched plans to try to save money. "It doesn't bode well," Durrwachter said. "It's unaffordable." The Medicare findings are bad news for President Barack Obama and his health care overhaul that is bogged down in Congress. That's because the higher Medicare Advantage premiums for 2010 followed a cut in government payments to the private plans last year. And the Democratic bills pending in Congress call for even more cuts, which are expected to force many seniors to drop out of what has been a rapidly growing alternative to traditional Medicare. Republicans have seized on the Medicare Advantage cuts in their campaign to derail the health care bills, and seniors are listening. Polls show seniors are more skeptical of the legislation than the public as a whole, even though Democrats would also reinforce original Medicare by improving preventive benefits and narrowing the prescription coverage gap.
Source: Boston Globe (February 19, 2010)
Full story: http://www.boston.com/business/healthcare/articles/2010/02
/19/premiums_jump_14_percent_on_medicare_private_plans/
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