KEY POINTS Roughly 29.1 million people are enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plans. Each year from Jan. 1 through March 31, those beneficiaries can switch to another Advantage Plan or drop their current one altogether. Here’s what to be aware of if you consider making a...

he 2023 Physician Fee Schedule updates include new billing codes and more ways to access care Each year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) releases several policy proposals and updates with many taking effect on January 1 of the new calendar year....

Medicare is a great way to get health coverage as you get older, but the timing for enrolling or changing plans can be tricky. Opportunities to sign up for Medicare or switch to a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan are usually limited to very specific and standard...

When you enroll in Medicare Part B, the federal government picks up the tab for most of your health care costs. Most, but not all. Medicare Part B premiums can be a surprising and costly retirement expense for many people. The minimum monthly Medicare Part B premium...

For starters, they’re both options for people with Medicare, but Medigap coverage supplements original Medicare, while Medicare Advantage is a private insurance alternative to federally run Medicare. They’re very different, and their unique types of coverage can’t be...

Medicare fraud is widespread and is among the long list of health care fraud schemes that cost the government billions of dollars annually. Medicare scammers continue to evolve their methods, making their ploys increasingly more believable. Recently, a RetireMed...

Three important documents grant caregivers permission to consult with a parent’s doctor, access medical records, ask questions about claims and make health care decisions on a parent’s behalf: Health care proxy Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act...

Making sense of the alphabet soup of health care choices Medicare is complicated and can be confusing to sort through. To make it easier, the program has been broken down into four basic parts that include coverage for everything from hospital care to doctor visits to...

Reforms embedded in the Inflation Reduction Act will bring savings to seniors this year. Already some lawmakers are aiming to repeal the changes. Steve Lubin spent a lot last year on insulin to control his Type 2 diabetes. A retired nurse in Philadelphia, Mr. Lubin...

How did the donut hole change for 2023? As has been the case in previous years, the thresholds where a person enters and exits the “donut hole” increased in 2023. We’ll explain this in more detail below, but the short story is that the initial coverage limit increased...

With 2023 fully underway, there are new costing guidelines associated with Medicare that went into effect Jan. 1. CNBC noted that copays and deductibles for Medicare Part A (which includes hospital stays) are going up, while Part B premiums and deductibles (outpatient...

With almost one in two seniors now enrolled in the privatized health plan alternative to traditional Medicare known as “Medicare Advantage,” look for growth to escalate in 2023 and beyond. Though there have been probes into aggressive marketing practices and other...

KEY POINTS Roughly 29.1 million people are enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plans. Each year from Jan. 1 through March 31, those beneficiaries can switch to another Advantage Plan or drop their current one altogether. Here’s what to be aware of if you consider making a...

Planning well in advance of your Medicare eligibility can help you get every dollar in Medicare benefits you have coming to you. Here, in a nutshell, is what you should do and when you should do it. 12-6 months before your 65th birthday Set up your post-retirement...

The new year brings a cap on insulin copays, free vaccines, lower premiums and more Some of the biggest changes to Medicare in years take effect in 2023, with more than 65 million Americans paying lower premiums and deductibles and about to feel the effects of...

With 2023 fully underway, there are new costing guidelines associated with Medicare that went into effect Jan. 1. CNBC noted that copays and deductibles for Medicare Part A (which includes hospital stays) are going up, while Part B premiums and deductibles (outpatient...

Every year Medicare costs can change. Costs for the upcoming year are announced in the late fall, and the new costs go into effect January 1. For 2023, Medicare costs decreased for Medicare Part B, but increased for Part A. What is the Medicare Part B premium for...

KEY POINTS New rules that will be beneficial for some Medicare enrollees are going into effect Jan. 1. The idea is to eliminate any delays in coverage that some new beneficiaries experience, depending on when they enroll. Additionally, individuals who didn’t sign up...

It can. If you are what Social Security considers a “higher-income beneficiary,” you pay more for Medicare Part B, the health-insurance portion of Medicare. (Most enrollees don’t pay for Medicare Part A, which covers hospitalization.) Medicare premiums are based on...

A year-by-year implementation timeline of the Inflation Reduction Act’s health provisions The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 will transform Medicare’s prescription drug coverage through provisions that for the first time will allow the program to negotiate prices of...