Dear Magic, My mother is pre-diabetic, and we’re worried that she could develop diabetes. Does Medicare cover diabetes screenings and treatments? Di Abeeties —– Dear Di, Unfortunately, a large number of Americans are affected by diabetes. If left uncontrolled, it can lead to some really bad outcomes, including kidney problems, glaucoma and other eye disorders, […]
How Does Medicare Work When You Have Existing Coverage?
Q. I love my job, and don’t have any plans to retire anytime soon, unless my wife insists on me doing so, so we can travel. We are both turning 65 this year, and will be eligible for Medicare soon. Since Medicare is health insurance, and I already have health insurance through my job for […]
Questions to Ask About Medicare if You Have Other Insurance Coverage
Dear Baxter, I am turning 65 this year, and will be eligible for Medicare soon. However, I still work and have insurance through my job. I am unsure how things work in this situation, and although I have read about it, I need more information before making any decisions. I want to call Medicare and […]
Medicare Doesn’t Care About Home Care
Jane’s mother, Anne, suffered a stroke and a broken pelvis, and will be leaving the rehabilitation center she was staying in this week. When she returns home, she desperately needs a health aide to assist with bathing, transferring from bed to chair with a lift, and changing a bandage from a deep wound, among other things. Anne has a Medicare plan that states that she can get […]
Comparing Aging-in-Place vs. Assisted Living
Q. My father passed away last year, and my mother has lived alone ever since. Her colonial-style home is becoming difficult to navigate due to her mobility issues. She has fallen several times and we are worried about her. She would like to continue to live in her home and age-in-place, but some major modifications […]
“Confusion Over Medicare Improvement Standard Persists”- Case Reintroduced and New Settlement Reached
Q. My father had a pretty major stroke several weeks ago. After being hospitalized for about 4 days, he was sent to a nursing home for rehab and has been receiving physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. He is still unable to swallow on his own, so he is hooked up to a feeding […]
What Medicare Covers
Dear Angel, I am a little confused about what Medicare actually covers. Can you provide details for me about this? Does Medicare pay for long-term care, at all? Thanks for your help! Metta Kayer —— Dear Metta, Medicare is our country’s health insurance program for people age 65 or older and for certain people with […]
Implications of ACA Repeal for Seniors
Q. It is clear that the Republican congesss wants to pass a measure to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) outright. In my view, the ACA has been good for seniors because it eliminates pre-existing condition exclusions, keeps children on parents’ policies to age 26, eliminates gender discrimination in pricing, and provides significantly more preventive […]
Hospice Care for Healthier Patients. . . Something Isn’t Right!
Linda Rodgers was shocked to see her father in so much pain when she visited him at his hospice facility. In a letter she wrote to the editor of USA Today, she described how her father had his pain controlled by medication while in the hospital, before admission to hospice, but was in severe pain […]
The Little-Known Pitfalls of Medicare Advantage Plans
Author Wendell Potter’s mother had a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan, with premiums that increased significantly over the years. Despite the increasing premiums, she didn’t feel she had any real motivation to disenroll. This was until she broke her hip and required skilled care in a nursing facility. After a few days, the nursing home administrator […]
What Medicare Won’t Cover
Q. When my mom turns 65, she will enroll in Medicare, as most seniors do. My understanding about Medicare is that Part A is hospital insurance and Medicare Part B helps pay for doctors’ services and other medical services and supplies that are not covered by Part A. My mother seems to think that Medicare […]
Do I Have to File for Medicare?
Dear Baxter, I will turn 65 soon, but am still working full time. I was planning on retiring, but my husband died suddenly two years ago at the age of 70, so I will still need to work for several more years. I have good health insurance with my work. Do I have to file […]
Medicare Recipients Will Be Less Vulnerable to Sticker Shock in Hospitals
Over the course of a day or so, Karen’s right arm began feeling weak and her speech began to slur. She was convinced she was having a stroke, so she called 911 and was rushed to the nearest emergency room. She remained in the hospital for nearly 48 hours to undergo testing, since it was […]
Does Medicare Pay for Hearing Aids?
Sid watches the baseball game with the television turned really high. His wife has been noticing that it is getting louder and louder. In fact, she can hear it outside the house in her garden and the neighbor said he can even hear it. She also noticed that she has to repeat things she says […]
Is Social Security or Medicare Running Out of Money? What the 2016 Trustees Report Has to Say
Social Security is vital to Americans, providing workers and their families with retirement, disability, and survivors insurance benefits. Medicare is also an essential program for American seniors. Since its creation in 1965, Medicare has provided universal health care to millions. Both these programs play integral roles in our lives, and it would truly be a […]
Discriminated Against for Having the “Wrong Type of Illness”
Long-term care services, whether provided in institutions or in the community, are essential to the well-being of many elderly and non-elderly people with limitations in performing daily activities. In the United States, in particular, long-term care is disastrously expensive. And, when it comes to benefits, some people are discriminated against simply because they have the […]
Seniors Decide: What’s Important in the Presidential Election?
Q. Thank you for your recent articles about where candidates stand on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Veterans benefits. In reading them, and in watching the debates on TV, I am still trying to figure out other critical issues seniors and baby boomers are evaluating when voting for our next president, and why I haven’t heard much from any candidate about long-term care. Unfortunately, […]
Will Medicare Cover Telehealth?
Laura, age 72, suffers from Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, and diabetes. On a snowy afternoon, she sits on her bed watching her favorite court television programs. At 3:30 p.m., it’s time for her wellness appointment. Laura turns on her iPad (supplied by her doctor’s office), and sees her physician’s face smiling back at her. The doctor […]
A New Era of Human Longevity
Happy Birthday Irene Ciuffoletti! Irene Ciuffoletti, a nursing home resident in Pennsylvania, celebrated her 113th birthday last week with other residents, enjoying cake and music. A widow for more than half a century, she has outlived all but one of her five sons. She was already a centenarian when she arrived at the nursing home […]
Is it the End for Observation Status?
Q. Late last year, you answered a question about a woman who spent a week in the hospital and was seen by doctors and nurses, given every kind of test imaginable, operated on, transferred to another room for recovery, and then to a nursing home for two weeks of rehabilitation. Subsequently, she received a […]
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