Massachusetts’ Medicaid program enjoyed success, at least initially. Boston (.com) reported that the state’s Medicaid program enrolled about 250,000 new members since mid-2006. What’s more is that the success of Massachusetts Medicaid led to the lowest rate of uninsured individuals in the entire U.S. That was back in 2006: Since the recession started in 2008, […]
The Perfect Holiday Caregiver: It’s all a state of mind
The holidays are always a wonderful time of year for family gatherings, reflection on what we have and the spirit of giving. The television is packed with specials showing relationships and families coming together for the holidays. But the holidays can also be a time of stress and sadness for those who are caring for […]
Evan Farr quoted by Fox News on healthcare privacy
The WikiLeaks security breach has stirred much conversation…but not just regarding the leaked cables themselves. The entire ordeal is raising numerous questions ranging from national security to constitutional issues. FOX News referenced Evan Farr’s article on his Virginia Elder Law Blog. which pointed out that as a result of this massive security breach, an important […]
Should the WikiLeaks fiasco raise healthcare privacy concerns?
Perhaps it is time to start asking questions, the goal being to learn from this unfortunate situation and hence pay more attention to safeguarding our data in this “post-9/11, information age.”
Largest Health Insurer Forecasts Growth in Medicare Advantage Plans for Elderly
Today, Reuters reported that United Health Group (UNH.N) expects health insurance plan enrollments to increase over the next year. The Group is the largest health insurer in the U.S and expects the growth to result at least in part, from increased Medicare Advantage plans for the elderly. You can view the original article here. Click […]
Power to the Patients! New Rules Forbid Discrimination in Medicare Facilities
Patient advocates have commented by the thousands in an effort to end any real or perceived discrimination. In April, 2010, President Obama echoed these pleas…as of this week, new rules have been established and will go into full effect very soon. In a press release released yesterday by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services […]
How New Health Information Technology Will Save Money and Lives
Why is it that our most sensitive, personal data is often in an unorganized state of disarray? Most of us probably could more quickly pull a given DVD or book from our collections than proffer to a doctor a condition or illness we may have suffered 1, 2, 5, or 10 years ago! The electronic […]
A Mixed Bag in Virginia: Federal Law Prohibits 2011 Social Security Increases, but Federal Agency Grants Millions to Disadvantaged Groups
As Halloween approaches this year, I can’t help but draw an analogy between the nights I spent meandering my neighborhood as a kid looking for handouts, and our current economic times. I recall my grade-school friends and I operating our minds at their collective capacities, as we planned the best streets to target and the best […]
Survey Shows Some Nursing Homes May Bill For Services Not Provided
A recent Washington Post article concludes that many nursing homes have been “up-coding” billing for care of residents for years, meaning that some nursing homes sometimes bill a resident more than they should be billed by using a special billing category intended to be used only for the five percent of nursing home patients who need highly […]
Health Reform: Changes in Store for the Elderly
After a year of legislative wrangling and premature forecasts of death, historic legislation overhauling the nation’s health insurance system passed the Congress and has been signed into law by President Obama. Among some of the highlights, this legislation contains: The nation’s first publicly funded national long-term care insurance program, the Community Living Assistance Services and […]
New Medical Conditions — Including Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease — Now Qualify for Automatic Disability Benefits
Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits are paid to individuals who, after having worked for many years, develop a disabling condition, prior to their normal retirement age, that is so severe that they are no longer able to work. Applicants for Social Security disability benefits often have to wait months, and sometimes years, for approval from the government, […]
Myths about Obama’s Health Plan
Lots of clients have been asking my opinion on Obama’s new health care reform plan. I’m not at all a political pundit, and I have not read the entire Bill, but I have seen and heard what appears to be a great deal of misinformation out there in the popular press. Here’s a slightly left-of-center […]
Planning for Long-Term Care (Part 3)
In Part 1 of this series I outlined the necessity to create a good Long Term Care Plan and in Part 2 I discussed the three most essential documents found in that plan. The first essential document is a General Power of Attorney (POA) containing Asset Protection Powers. This document authorizes your “Agent” to act […]
New Law Will Slash Medicare Copayments
An overlooked portion of recent Medicare legislation promises Medicare recipients greater access to mental health benefits. Both houses of Congress passed the new law, known as the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, over a veto by President Bush on July 15. While the media primarily focused on a provision in the […]
Aging is Not a Disease
It is natural that health care providers such as doctors, pharmacists and nurses will have the same attitude towards aging as other Americans. Without proper geriatric care training, these people can fall into the same trap of treating the elderly differently from younger people. According to the Alliance for Aging Research, “In recent years evidence […]
Medicare’s Web Site and Rx Drug Plan Finder Improved
Last year, many people enrolling in Medicare Part D (Prescription Drug Coverage) found Medicare’s Website difficult to use. Medicare recently updated its Web site, allowing greater comparisons of cost, coverage and participating pharmacies. The site also allows beneficiaries to sort plans by what kind of coverage the plans provide once beneficiaries have reached the “coverage […]
The Benefits of Hospice Care
It is unfortunate that many people who die in a hospital emergency room or who receive heroic treatments to prolong life in a hospital or nursing home may have had the alternative of dying at home in familiar surroundings, with family or other loved ones at their side. When someone is dying but there really […]
Medicare Premiums May Increase By Record Amount
Medicare Part B premiums are forecast to increase by $15.90 in 2008, the largest single-year hike in the history of the program, according to a new analysis by the Senior Citizens League. The 17 percent increase would bring the premium to $109.40, up from $93.50 in 2007. Medicare Part B pays for doctors’ visits, tests, […]
About the New Medicare Plans
January 1, 2007 through through March 31, 2007 is the open enrollment for Medicare Advantage plans. These new private-sector plans were created along with the Medicare prescription drug program by the 2005 Medicare Modernization Act. During open enrollment, seniors already on an Advantage plan can switch to another company’s plan, or seniors can switch from […]
Medicare Preventive Services: What is Covered?
As the saying goes “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” and as you get older, taking preventative measures can keep you healthy. And if you are a Medicare beneficiary, there are a number of preventive services available to you. Anyone with Medicare Part B has access to the following preventive services: […]
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