Medicare’s open-enrollment period, when the 49 million Americans who use the program can make changes to their 2013 coverage, is about to come to a close – for most beneficiaries and their families, the deadline for alterations is midnight on Friday, Dec. 7.
Continue ReadingChallenges await on Social Security, Medicare and elder-care, and retiree savings
Continue ReadingWith the election behind him, Barack Obama’s first item of business will be dealing with the fiscal cliff–that toxic combination of tax increases and automatic spending cuts that are due to kick in on Jan 2, unless Congress acts to delay or replace them with a long-term deficit reduction plan. Going over the cliff would mean deep cuts in a […]
Continue ReadingOn Tuesday, the Obama administration announced a proposed settlement agreement that would make it easier for people with disabilities and chronic conditions to qualify for home care.
Until now, Medicare beneficiaries have been required to show they were likely to improve (the “improvement standard”) for Medicare to cover skilled nursing care and therapy services at home.
Continue ReadingDid you watch the third and last debate Monday evening between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney?
I thought assigning foreign policy as the topic was a bad idea. More so than in elections past when the nation had not been going through such hard economic times, what voters most care about now are pocketbook and social issues.
The two candidates apparently agreed as they veered into domestic policy no matter what questions moderator Bob Sheiffer asked. For us – elders – what has most been missing from the debates was a good and thorough discussion of Social Security and Medicare and I’m ticked off about that.
Continue ReadingIt’s every patient’s worst nightmare: You undergo a complicated, expensive medical procedure, only to have your insurer deny your claim and refuse to pay, leaving you stuck with the bill. (Every patient’s second worst nightmare, by the way, is the one in which NBC decides not to cancel “Animal Practice.”)
Continue ReadingThis is the last part of the TGB Medicare Enrollment Information series. I had no idea when I committed myself to breaking down Medicare enrollment rules into simple, understandable language how difficult it would be – what a long learning curve it was.
Continue ReadingLast week, I wrote about an important new survey of family caregivers that shows nearly half are performing work that is often done by nurses, such as managing medications, caring for wounds, and operating medical equipment. The report, by AARP and United Hospital Fund, sheds important light on the often unrecognized role of these family caregivers. And […]
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