On January 1, 2020, Medicare beneficiaries in New York’s Central, Upstate and Capital Regions will have even more providers to choose from when they select a 2020 Aetna Medicare Advantage plan. On that day, Bassett Healthcare Network and its more than 400 affiliated physicians and other advanced practice clinicians will be part of Aetna’s Medicare Advantage preferred […]
This spring I received calls for help from several veterans who were paying a monthly premium to be enrolled in a MAPD, a Medicare Advantage with Prescription Drug Plan. These veterans are not eligible for CHAMP or TRICARE, are enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B and pay the Part B premium. Since these veterans […]
Individuals enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B may apply for the Medicare Savings Program. If eligible you will receive help paying the Medicare Part B premium, currently $135.50. In some instances, (QMB) the program will pay your Part A and Part B deductible and co-insurance amounts. (And possibly a percentage of your Part C […]
If you, a loved one, friend or neighbor has experienced “sticker shock” with your Medicare Part D prescription drug co-payment, the following case study may interest you. Earlier this week, I received this message from an Albany New York County couple: “We were talking with our neighbor Kathy about the sudden and unaffordable cost of […]
A client called this morning and asked this question: “Dan, I went to refill my prescription and was quoted almost double what I paid in 2018.“ Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plans reset each year on January 1. What that means is the prescription drug benefit levels start over at what is called the Deductible […]
What is the Medigap High F Plan? This plan provides the same benefits as standard Plan F after a $2,300 (2019) deductible has been met. The standard Plan F is a Medigap policy that pays the Medicare hospital and medical Parts A and B deductible and co-insurance – the dollars not paid by Original Medicare. Plan F […]
On October 12, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2019 premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts for the Medicare Part A and Part B programs. Medicare Part A Deductible Medicare Part A covers covers inpatient hospital, skilled nursing facility, and some home health care services. The annual inpatient hospital deductible that […]
Previously: In the first two posts in this series, Phase I: The Prescription Drug Deductible, and Phase 2: The Initial Coverage Period, I reviewed how Medicare Part D drug plan benefits reset each January 1, how Medicare Part D prescription drug plans may include a deductible amount to be paid before any medications are covered […]
In my previous post, Phase I: The Prescription Drug Deductible, I covered how Medicare Part D drug plan benefits reset each January 1. The post also described how a plan deductible amount may apply to any or only a specified group of medications. For many, depending on whether your January refills were affected by the […]
It’s early January which means Medicare Prescription Drug payment phases have just reset. And I hear this question: “Dan, I just went to refill my medication and the pharmacist quoted me a co-pay almost double what I paid in December.” Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plans reset each year on January 1. What that means […]