Medicare/Medigap Insurance
Found 108 Articles.
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Beware Medicare “Observation” Status
You might need a subscription to read this from The Wall Street Journal, but I’ll give you the highlights. As you might know, when you’re at a hospital you might be officially admitted or you might be kept there but under “observation status.” Ideally observation status is so doctors can run tests and take other […]
The Future of Retiree Medical Insurance
IBM shocked a lot of people when a late Friday report in The Wall Street Journal said the company was ending all retiree medical insurance once Obamacare kicks in. Instead of finding and paying for insurance coverage for its retirees, IBM will tell its retirees to seek their coverage on one of the new insurance […]
Shrinking Supply of Medicare Doctors
More and more doctors are declining to accept Medicare patients. This has beena problem for a long time, as I’ve alerted Retirement Watch readers. But it’s becoming worse as Congress reduces the payments to doctors and imposes new rules and restrictions. The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday (subscription might be required) that a fairly small […]
More Mysteries in Medicare Spending
Over the years a number of studies have shown puzzling disparities in Medicare spending and reimbursements. Some regions of the country spend much more per beneficiaries than others. Yet, within those regions there are vast differences among providers. That makes it difficult for policymakers to decide how to control spending or make the system most […]
How Medicare Distorts Doctors’ Pay
Medical billing is a mystery to most of us. The Washington Post does a good job of pulling away a small part of the curtain. This story shows that a small group of doctors put together by the American Medical Association essentially determine how much doctors will be paid for different procedures. And, according to […]
Behind the Medicare Numbers
Each year the trustees of Social Security and Medicare issue a report. The main focus of the report is the financial condition of the “trust funds.” In recent years one of the public trustees, Charles Blahous, wrote his own summaries of the annual reports with an emphasis on the points he believes are important. Not […]
Medicare’s Dumping a Program That Works
Though the federal government’s various medical payment programs are regimented and uniform, they do allow various pilot or test programs. The pilot programs start small and sometimes expand when they really work. Yet, here’s a report that Medicare is phasing out a pilot program that has fantastic results. The program is directed at people with […]
Medicare Advantage Not Out of the Woods
I recently reported on the flip-flop the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services made on the Medicare Advantage plans. Initially the CMS said it would substantially reduce reimbursement rates for Medicare Advantage providers. After public protests, CMS reversed policy. But that doesn’t mean the Medicare Advantage plans are out of danger. President Obama and most […]
