Archive for the ‘medicare supplements’ Category

Will Medicare Eligibility Be Raised to Age 67?

Posted on: January 12th, 2012 by ymedina No Comments

There has been a lot of talk in Congress about raising the eligibility age on Medicare to age 67 to save costs.  This has been talked about for years, but it faces a lot of opposition in Congress.  According to the article “Raising Medicare Age Would Save $148 Billion, CBO Says” by Meghan McCarthy and [...]

Medicare Open Enrollment Extension for Some

Posted on: December 7th, 2011 by ymedina No Comments

Today, December 7th, is the end of the open enrollment period for Medicare recipients.  Susan Jaffe from the KaiserHealthNews.org website reports that extensions are being offered to people who are unable to enroll due to wait times, but only by three days.  A spokesperson for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid claims that extensions will [...]

SeniorBlue Select

Posted on: November 29th, 2011 by BlogAdmin No Comments

Wellmark recently announced that their Medicare supplement plan SeniorBlue Select would be discontinued as of Dec 31.   Nearly 4,000 members are enrolled in the plan that supplements Medicare benefits. SeniorBlue Select was closed to new business about three years ago, but about 3,900 members remain on the books.  The plan was popular because it offered [...]

MediBlue HMO by Empire BCBS

Posted on: November 28th, 2011 by BlogAdmin No Comments

There is just over 1 week left in Medicare Open Enrollment.  If you live in NY state and are still shopping for a Medicare health plan, the MediBlue HMO suite of plans offered by Empire BlueCross BlueShield are worth taking a look. MediBlue HMO Essential is a Medicare Advantage Plan without Prescription Drug Coverage. MediBlue [...]

Change In Medicare Open Enrollment Causing Confusion

Posted on: October 14th, 2011 by ymedina No Comments

Stuart Millard, a Certified Financial Planner, who heads Senior Insurance Solutions in Massachusetts says most people are confused by Medicare and very few are aware of the changes in open enrollment.  According to the article “Key Change Could Screw Up Your 2012 Medicare” by Susan Ladika on FoxBusiness.com, many seniors are very accustomed to waiting [...]

Reminder: Medicare Open Enrollment Starts Earlier This Year

Posted on: October 13th, 2011 by ymedina No Comments

Many Medicare beneficiaries are not aware that open enrollment starts this Saturday, October 15th and runs through December 7th, 2011.  Between Medicare enrollment and Medicare supplement information, seniors are feeling overwhelmed.  Medicare.gov has done it’s best to educate consumers on the important dates they should know to help them plan. As of October 1, new [...]

Medicare Changes Surprise Seniors

Posted on: October 7th, 2011 by ymedina No Comments

A recent survey shows that about two-thirds of seniors are unaware that the Medicare enrollment period has been moved.  This could end up costing them if the information doesn’t get to them in time.  The Medicare enrollment period opens October 15th instead of November.  If beneficiaries do not enroll by December 7th, they will have [...]

Medicare Excluded From First Round Cuts

Posted on: August 3rd, 2011 by ymedina No Comments

The debt deal has been worked on for weeks now and it looks like Congress has come to an agreement.  The debt-ceiling compromise will have short term as well as long term effects on all Americans according to the article “Students, Seniors May Feel Impact of Debt Deal” by Sandra Block of USA Today.  The [...]

Medicare Supplement Insurance Doesn’t Cover Everything

Posted on: April 1st, 2011 by ymedina No Comments

Health care reform is causing big changes to Medicare and Medicare supplement insurance over the next few years but one thing will most likely remain: misconceptions about Medicare.  The article “Retiree Money Myths: Where Thinking Goes Wrong and How to Plan for a Better Retirement Reality” by Dave Carpenter on Green Field Reporter, states that [...]

Health Insurance Rates Vary for Elective Surgery

Posted on: February 25th, 2011 by ymedina No Comments

You may be surprised to hear that elective surgery in the United States varies greatly based on where you live, and which doctors they are seeing according to the article “When it Comes to Elective Surgery, Where You Live Matters” on Kaiser Health News.  A recent study from Reuters finds a large regional variation in [...]