Medicare can be overwhelming because we all have different needs. The Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) can help you select the right Medigap policy for you. There are eleven different Medigap polices with varying coverage ranges. If you are under the age of 65 and on Medicare due to disability, the only plans available…
Understanding how Prescription Drug Plans (PDP) work can save a lot of money and grief by picking the plan that covers all your medications at the lowest cost. It is a common misconception amongst Medicare recipients that a higher premium means better coverage, but what determines which PDP would be best is the plan’s formulary…
According to a 2009 New England Journal of Medicine study, hospital readmissions within 30 days cost Medicare more than $17 billion a year. And being readmitted is equally hard on patients. In 2010, in an attempt to trim back the number of readmissions, the Affordable Care Act began penalizing hospitals that reported an excessive number…
Enrolling into a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan or a Medicare Advantage plan can be done at multiple times during the year. Medicare beneficiaries have their Initial Enrollment Period when they first become Medicare eligible, but the only time that all Medicare recipients can change their plan after their Initial Enrollment Period is during the yearly…
Have you received phone calls from individuals asking for your Medicare number so they can send you a new Medicare card? This is a scam. Individuals from Medicare will never call to ask you this information. Medicare has this information at their fingertips. Starting next year, a major change will be occurring in Medicare. In…
Change is a part of everyday life and change may be necessary to get the most out of your health care benefits. Each year during the Open Enrollment Period, Medicare beneficiaries have the opportunity to compare and evaluate their current plans and make changes as necessary. Just as your health needs may change from year…
Aging—for aging parents and their adult children—sneaks up on all of us. Planning should begin early. And that includes not only the senior individual or couple, it includes the family, professional caregivers, and friends. The old African proverb tells us that it takes a village to raise a child. It is also sometimes advantageous to…
The annual Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period runs from Jan. 1 through Feb. 14. During this time, Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan may leave their plan and return to Original Medicare. If you switch to Original Medicare during this period, you will have until Feb. 14 to also join a Medicare Prescription Drug…
2016 Medicare Every year the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reevaluate the costs for Medicare Parts A and B to determine if changes need to be made to deductibles, co-pays and out-of-pocket maximums. SHIIP, the Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program, is available to North Carolina’s Medicare beneficiaries, their families and caregivers to help them…
Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin and the staff of SHIIP, the Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program, are reminding Medicare beneficiaries of a very important deadline. The Annual Election Period to review, compare and choose Medicare prescription drug coverage ends Dec. 7, 2015. Medicare beneficiaries are encouraged to call SHIIP at 1-855-408-1212 or 1-800-MEDICARE for free and…
