July 23, 2010
New Rules Guarantee Patients' Right To Appeal Insurance Claim Denials Click here for more
July 11, 2010
New Health Care Website Click here for more
Lose your work-provided health benefits? Click here for more
Mayo Clinic Health Letter Offers Advice for Maintaining Vitality: How to Age Without Getting Old Click here for more
June 16, 2010
“Viewpoints” | The Medical Community’s View on Health Reform
Click here for more
What We Really Do – and Don’t – Know About Health in This Nation
Click here for more
Health Care Reform: We’ve Really Only Just Begun
Click here for more
UPDATE 1-U.S. warns insurers over Medicare Advantage costs
Click here for more
May 6, 2010
Update: Medicare primer for 2010
Kaiser Medicare primer for 2010
Medicare was at the center of the debate on health care reform - by Claes Bell - Bankrate.com
Health care reform impact on Medicare
April 21, 2010
Timeline for healthcare reform or regulation.
Health Care Timeline
Good Dental Care Cuts Risk of Heart Disease
Many Americans have some form of gum disease
Every year, the medical community indentifies the Top 10 Breakthroughs of the past year.
Top Ten Medical Breakthroughs - 2009
March 11, 2010
Despite the successes achieved by PSCs, Congress believed that additional measures to safeguard the Medicare Trust Funds were needed.
Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) to detect and correct improper payments.
Latest Kaiser Report
Kaiser: Pulling it together
U.S. Health Care Costs
Expenditures in the United States on health care surpassed $2.3 trillion in 2008
Welcome to the Institute for Health Research's website!
Institute for Health Research
February 22, 2010
Medicare: A Primer
This primer explains key elements of the Medicare program
November 30, 2009
We have five documents for you to review as a result of the
first set of seminars the NCRO set up to assist you with the Medicare
supplemental and Advantage programs for 2010
1. An insurance company can't refuse to sell you a Medigap
policy in the following situations:
Medigap Guarantee
2. Medicare Advantage Helpful Hints
MA Helpful Hints
3. Delta Dental vs Guardian
Delta vs. Guardian
4. AAWARE-DoubleHealth Flyer
AAWARE-DoubleHealth
5. VSP-Vision Plan VSP
Vision Care
Medicare in the Spotlight: Kaiser Family Foundation.
Medicare in the Spotlight
August 11, 2009
For information concerning the National Health Care Plan, the following links
are to websites that can help you discern the truth.
www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm
www.Health Action
Now.org
www.NRLN.org
www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/
www.WhiteHouse.gov/RealityCheck
www.FactCheck.org
www.TruthOrFiction.com
www.Snopes.com
July 2, 2009
5 Myths About Our Ailing Health-Care System by Shannon Brownlee
& Ezekiel Emanuel - Washington Post - November 23, 2008.
5 Myths About Our Ailing Health-Care System
July 1, 2009
MEDICARE PART D PRESCRIPTION DRUG COVERAGE
How to improve Medication Adherence by FDA, PRxN-MPTN and
William A Millar. Medication adherence, or taking medications correctly, is
generally defined as the extent to which patients take medication as prescribed
by their doctors. This involves factors such as getting prescriptions filled,
remembering to take medication on time, and understanding the directions....
continued here==>
Common barriers
to medication adherence include:
December 22, 2008
DENTAL/VISION FROM BUTLER CAPITAL ADVISORS The Toledo retirees
group has recommended Butler Capital Advisors to the NCRO as an consultant for
assisting members in choosing insurance. I (Chuck Austin) consulted with them
and feel they did a creditable job in advising me. They cover all medical plans,
whereas Extend health only has certain ones. The contact person is Ericka Winne
at 419-243-9665. They have a dental and vision plan that may be of interest to
some members. See the attachment==>
NCRO Butler
Vision_Dental 2009.pdf
Medicare: A Primer This primer explains key elements of the
Medicare program from the Kaiser Family Foundation
Medicare Primer
November 18, 2008
In response to Chuck Austin's PFFS plan comments (see below
October 31, 2008) Jim Buttery responds: I will try to summarize what I have sent
in the past.
Medicare advantage plans ( HMO, PPO, & PFFS) are low cost but, I
repeat, but have deductibles and or co-pays. The more claims, the more co pays.
Co-pays & deductibles are an extension of the premiums.
In addition, advantage plans have a network that should be used
to keep the co-pays low. Go outside the network, expect higher out of pocket
costs.
If some one travels a lot, just hope that one having a Medicare
advantage plan does not require medical care. This could be a problem depending
on the advantage plan in use. A PPO is much better than a HMO or PFFS plan.
If someone has a history of or anticipates a lot of claims or
requiring specialized care ie: Mayo Clinic, then a supplemental plan is best.
Higher premiums, normally no co-pays or deductibles and go to any doctor,
hospital as long as Medicare approves the cost. ( Medicare approval is required
for all plans).
Mayo Clinic recently notified their patients that they will no
longer accept Medicare advantage insurance.
Stay with what you have, if you are satisfied and have minimal
health care claims.
The bottom line is stay healthily.
Jim Buttery
November 10, 2008
Chuck Austin's exchange
with Karyn Blake of My Part D USA
2009 BCBS Personal Dental Plan
2009 Medicare Plus Blue A thru D
Mike Cox is the Attorney General of the State of Michigan. He
wrote a piece titled "Don't let Blues sneak a bad deal past lawmakers" for the
Detroit Free Press editorials. His editorial was written in response to Blue
Cross Proposal - House Bills 5282-5285
October 31, 2008
AARP has a comprehensive Q & A website about Medicare
Prescription Drug Coverage
click here for Medicare Coverage Part D info.From Doran Samples, This
article is from 2007, but is just as practical today as it was back then. "When
two insurance agents showed up at Dorothy and Charles Holt's Visalia, Calif.,
home last spring, they offered a deal that seemed too good to pass up..." By
Michelle Andrews Posted 2/11/07, edition of U.S. News & World Report.
Better check the fine print
on that newfangled Medicare plan
The following note from Chuck Austin ties in with the
above article
From Chuck Austin, The Blue Cross of Michigan Medicare
Plus Blue plan, available in Michigan, is a PFFS plan. I am in this plan
as well as many of my friends. The basic plan costs only $59 for 2008
including drugs. What a deal! Most Medigap F plans with drugs cost $200
per month. That saves a couple nearly $3,500 a year.
My biggest concern in the past is that they accept any Medicare
doctor that "accepts their payment system." What does that mean? My doctors in
Detroit accept the plan. But when I am in Florida, or traveling, or need to go
to the Mayo clinic for specialty health care, will it be accepted? Jess recently
got ill in the Canadian Rockies and had to visit a doctor. I've submitted the
$150 bill, but have not yet gotten payment from Medicare Plus Blue. Also, we
have a friend with this plan who has a rare cancer. So far her husband is
extremely pleased with the plan.
Do any of you have experience with this plan? Please
feel free to post your comments on our blog at
blog.ncro.org
October 28, 2008
From Gavin Magor, Senior Health Insurance Analyst TheStreet.com
Ratings
Could this be the end of Medicare Advantage?
From 2005 to 2007, 237,420 Medicare patients' deaths could have been prevented
if...
Here's a guide to help you understand what's covered, and what to look for in
Medicare Part D benefits
Medicare Drug Plan: What's Covered, What's Not
Medicare Part D: What You'll Pay
October 27, 2008
From Jim Buttery: New to Medicare or getting close to 65 and
need some insight into Medicare?
see what Jim
has to say here
From Doran Samples: Just wanted to be sure all noted
that the Medicare Part D (plans and all drug costs) for 2009 now are on
the
www.medicare.gov. It looks like a
lot of changes and I did see a few glitches (mail order about 3 times
the cost of monthly on a few plans so obviously some wrong multipliers).
They went on within the past few days. If you are in a Medicare D plan
user you may want to review your options and costs prior to I believe
the 11/15 enrollment start.
October 20, 2008
From Chuck Austin: From the Overthehillcarpeople.com website -
"My Part D USA, will be available to you NOW for all of your questions
concerning Medicare Plans ( Medicare Supplemental/Medigap Plans, Medicare
Advantage Plans, and Medicare Part D/Drug Plans. They can make Medicare Plan
comparisons for you NOW. They will also be able to assist you with your 2009
Medicare enrollment in November 2008 if you choose, just as Extend Health can.
All services provided by My Part D USA are done FREE of charge to you!"
Overthehillcarpeople.com
From Doran Samples, "As we get
ready for the next year of Medicare selections
many of us will again be picking a Medicare D or
drug plan. As we all know, it is very complex. I
recently noted that J.D. Powers (same co that
does owner satisfaction for autos) also does
studies of drug providers . Although not
directly Medicare D providers, it does have some
good info regarding customer satisfaction."
J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Flat-Rate
Pricing for Generic Prescriptions May Lead to
Higher Satisfaction Among Pharmacy Customers
