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THE
LATEST MEDICARE INFORMATION
Updated
August 27, 2008
"Your
Best Private Medicare Resource on the Web" |
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Important
note :
Extra-Help programs are available based on
financial need - -.
website. |
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Some Basic Part D Links |
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Basic Information
Basic information about Medicare
prescription drug coverage, what it
is, who can get it, when you can get
it, how you can get it and why you
should get it.
Things to Consider
Information about how to look at the
cost, coverage, and other important
factors of Medicare drug coverage when
selecting a plan that meets your
needs.
Common Situations
To help you get started thinking about
Medicare drug coverage, find the
situation that describes you and find
out what you need to do.
Landscape of Local
Plans
Lists for each State of Medicare
Prescription Drug Plans and Medicare
Advantage Plans and other Health Plans
with prescription drug coverage that
are available in 2007.
Medicare Prescription
Drug Plan Finder
An interactive tool that allows you to
narrow your search for a Medicare
prescription drug plan based on your
personal preferences such as cost,
drugs covered and participating
pharmacies.
Formulary (Drug) Finder
You enter the drugs you use. This
interactive tool finds plans in your
area whose formularies cover those
drugs.
Enrollment Center
Use this tool to join the Medicare
drug plan you've selected. |
HELP,
Medicare • 1-800-633-4227 (TTY/TDD
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Important Tip:
Part D monthly premiums range
from approximately
$8.40 to over $135.70.
Coverage will vary based on
premium charged. You need to
carefully review the details
of each company offering
coverage in your state.
Click on your state,
above-left, to see which
premium and plan is best for
your situation and
medications.
Click here for two charts
which show the basic costs,
and compare 2006 with 2007.
Extra-Help
programs are available based
on financial need.
Check at this
website.
Your
drugs may be free. |
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Tip TO FIND A
HEALTH PLAN Your best resource is
still the Medicare
prescription-drug-plan finder
-- now called Medicare Options
Compare -- which lets you enter
the names of drugs you take and
figure your potential
out-of-pocket costs for the plans
in your area. To access
personalized information about
your current plan and to modify
your drug list, sign up for
MyMedicare.gov. |
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Social
Security Awaits Bush's Exit |
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TIPS
most recent
last |
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1.Medicare
Part D Brief Overview for Fall 2007, For Coverage
Beginning January 1, 2008 |
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2.THE MEDICARE TWILIGHT ZONE
Humorous article on the utter confusion of Medicare "Parts" |
3. Explanation
of Part D, doughnut hole, and suggestions
for improvement.
"Be
generous. I'm trying to buy my way out of the doughnut
hole." Maxine |
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4.
Official Medicare Prescription Drug Information Site
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5.
If you do not have
excessive property or large bank accounts, you should be
able to get your Part D subsidized by Social Security.
I get about $11,000 per year and my Part D has NO premium NO
deductible, NO gap, and the meds run between $! & $5 per
month (max) each.
Check page 57 in the 2006 Medicare Handbook
"Medicare and You" it has a chart that should answer
your questions. Good luck. You may be able to get help
applying (I did) from
RSVP, they're in the phone book.
Cheers, Lee O.
(You will need Acrobat Reader to open this Medicare
publication online. It is free. Click the running
person below)
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6,
BEWARE of people
offering to give you Medicare information for a price.
99.9% of the time this information is available FOR FREE.
These people are looking to make a buck off of you by
selling you convenience.
For that matter,
any information
pertaining to government policies or programs is free.
Don't fall for the hype! Rivahcat
- Virginia
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7.
F YOU HAVE CONCERNS
ABOUT PLAN D, WRITE OR CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN AND SENATOR.
COMPLETE LINKS TO DO THAT CAN BE FOUND AT:
LINKS/GOVERNMENT |
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8. Here is an invaluable site
for Seniors who are on Part "D", or buying drugs
independently. It is produced by
independent Consumer Reports.
It is part of their "Best
Buy Drugs" website.
Specific to those on Medicare
is their
"Medicare
RX" section. |
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9.
Why are seniors paying nearly twice the price
for their prescriptions as veterans, even though the
government runs both programs?
Because Congress specifically prevented Medicare from
negotiating lower drug prices for seniors. In a time of
record budget deficits, that just doesn’t make sense.
Click here
to tell Congress to let Medicare get better drug prices for
seniors. (Takes you to a Consumers Union/Consumer Reports
page) |
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10.
A free booklet is
available from the National Pharmaceutical Council
explaining prescription benefits, new Medicare
beneficiaries, choosing a plan and how to appeal when your
drug is not covered. You can order Your Pharmacy Benefit:
Make It Work for You. Call 1-888-878-3256 or
www.pueblo.gsa.gov |
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11.
Important dates for
the balance of 2006 for Part D
Mid-September: Medicare releases list of 2007
stand-alone and Medicare Advantage insurers plans. Some
companies that had offered three plans next year will offer
only two.
Oct. 1:
Insurance companies may start marketing their plans.
Oct. 12:
Medicare releases details of the plans, costs and drugs they
cover. In late October it mails each beneficiary the
"Medicare and You" handbook, a guide to all Medicare
benefits.
Nov.
15-Dec. 31: Medicare beneficiaries may enroll in Part D
plans, or switch to new plans. Those already enrolled may
keep those plans or switch to different ones. People in a
plan that is being discontinued may choose a new plan.
HELP,
Medicare •
1-800-633-4227 (TTY/TDD 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day.
www.medicare.gov
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12.
The changes to Medicare in 2006 that brought us the drug "benefit"
had another increase built in which I was just made
aware of by an article in this Sunday's paper ..
Part B charges
will be tied to your income bracket !!!! .
The article did not state
how/when they would determine your bracket ..
But anyone near a bracket boundary should do some year-end
income planning now if possible.. The article mentioned 2
events that could cause a bracket shift, converting an IRA
to Roth and selling property..
Paul P.
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13.
If you are still
confused and undecided about the new
Prescription Drug
plan, try this site.
http://www.medicarerxeducation.org./index.htm
Click on the "about us" section to see who is behind this
site. I have read it and find it to be a good place to
start.
Your Editor |
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14.
TO FIND A HEALTH
PLAN Your best resource is still the Medicare
prescription-drug-plan finder -- now called Medicare
Options Compare -- which lets you enter the names of drugs
you take and figure your potential out-of-pocket costs for
the plans in your area. To access personalized information
about your current plan and to modify your drug list, sign
up for
MyMedicare.gov. |
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15. If you are denied
any kind of coverage by Medicare, you have the right to
appeal. Here is the
Medicare webpage you need:
http://www.medicare.gov/basics/appeals.asp |
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16.
Millions of Seniors are in for a rude
awakening in 2007. Many signed up at the last
minute, before May 15, 2006, for Medicare Part D. This means
that they had about half a year to hit the "doughnut hole"
in 2006. They will experience 12 months in 2007, and will
hit the "doughnut hole" much earlier than they anticipate,
based on their 2006 experience. This means they will
experience a much longer period where they will be paying
100% of the cost of their own prescriptions, at prices that
have become inflated. |
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17. This
morning SeniorARK came across an
October 23, 2006 article on the mixed grades Part D
is receiving. In that article we find this statement:
"It's a lot of
smoke," said Dr. Aaron Snyder, who works for Kaiser
Permanente. To him, the government is cleverly concealing
the fact that the benefits are relatively modest. To
read the full article click:
Medicare Plan D gets mixed grades
Rocky Mountain News -
Denver,CO,USA |
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Alert:
Despite Medicare coverage,
seniors are not
taking advantage of preventive
services and
important screenings that can help detect diseases early. |
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19. Do you think
there is profit in the Medicare Part D Extravaganza on the
backs of Seniors? Read this from a late October
2006 Stock value assessment of Part D provider,
Humana:
"OVERVIEW: In 2003, the federal government
passed legislation allowing seniors to obtain medical
coverage through private health insurers under plans
ultimately reimbursed by Medicare
More than half of Humana's profits come from insuring
seniors through government programs, and with Medicare
reforms still in infancy analysts say investors will judge
Humana's third quarter based on margins and enrollment. Both
are tied to the
company's ability to persuade members to switch to a new
type of plan, Medicare Advantage.
Medicare Advantage offers seniors cheaper copays under
programs that restrict choices to certain doctors and
hospitals."
complete article |
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Read recent article (Oct 29) on Part D
THE PRAISES AND PITFALLS OF PART D |
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21. Disabled and can't get
around. Check into Medicare-approved scooters.
 It
may be fully covered. |
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22. Many
seniors know that Medicare covers flu and pneumonia
vaccinations but don't realize they have
extra benefits that
became effective Jan. 1, 2005,
Medicare now covers 100
percent of the cost of cholesterol tests every five years
and diabetes screening tests up to twice a year. It also
will cover 80 percent an annual glaucoma eye screening and a
bone mass measurement to check for osteoporosis.
Other
screenings tests covered by Medicare at 100 or 80 percent
include mammography, pap tests, colorectal screening and
prostate cancer. The coverage means Medicare benefits can
help detect disease earlier, reduce infectious diseases and
improve a patient's quality of life.
Many
conditions and diseases have no early symptoms.
It's much better to
try to prevent health problems from developing or growing
that treating a disease after it has developed for a while.
These are potentially life saving benefits. We encourage
seniors to take advantage of them. Cancer can grow deep
within a colon, for example, with no symptoms. Regular
testing can reveal colon cance |
do
do do do 
Produced
by SeniorARK