How to Lower Medicare Costs

2010-11-22T01:30:22Z

If your premiums are rising, consider these alternatives.

I have a medigap policy, but my premiums have been rising over the past few years. My health so far has been good. Should I change to a cheaper medigap policy or consider switching to an all-inclusive Medicare Advantage

What is Medicare?

2010-11-29T14:53:13Z

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Comparing Cost Of Medigap Insurance vs a Medicare Advantage Plan

2010-11-29T14:52:20Z

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How Do I Compare the Oxford Medicare Advantage Plan of New York?

2010-11-29T14:35:21Z

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Understanding Medicare advantage plans

2010-11-29T15:35:45Z

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Universal American CEO Discusses Q3 2010 Results - Earnings Call Transcript

2010-11-29T14:48:53Z

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the Baucus Plan

2010-11-03T00:12:59Z

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Medicare Advantage Compliance Training

2010-09-26T06:00:27Z

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Sept. 22, 2010

2010-09-23T07:43:50Z

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How Do You Evaluate a Private Service Fee for Medicare Advantage Plans?

2010-09-21T20:48:41Z

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Doctors make Medicare Supplement Plans more Popular

2010-10-14T12:19:32Z

As we age quality healthcare becomes much more important. Living a long and health life is our first priority, and ensuring we have access to the best doctors and hospitals is the main factor upon which our success will be determined when achieving this goal. There are several Medicare plan options available to people who are over 65, many of which can be quite confusing. The most important decision one must face is whether to purchase a Medicare Advantage Plan or a Medicare Supplement Pl...

Supplemental

2010-10-14T12:04:57Z

If you have ever attempted to find Medicare Supplement Insurance online, you know that the whole process can be utterly confusing and frustrating. Following are three tips that will help you to find the best plan for you without going nuts in the process.Accident plans are guarantee issue up to age 65 or 70. Online applications have no health questions or underwriting and everyone gets approved.

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Lawmakers want Medicare ad pulled

2010-11-02T12:43:32Z

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How to Market Medicare Advantage Plans

2010-11-02T14:22:23Z

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Medicare Supplemental Plans - Switch Anytime, Start Saving!

2010-10-14T11:59:15Z

Many people confuse Medicare Advantage Plans and Medicare Supplement Plans. However, these two types of insurance couldn't be more different. When enrolling in Medicare for the first time, it is drastically important to make a good purchasing decision as it can affect your health and financial well being. The question most people have is? what type of plan is best? While there isn't any definitive answer...

Universal American Corp. Q2 2010 Earnings Call Transcript

2010-11-02T12:10:08Z

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A.M. Vitals: Could Genzyme Attract Other Suitors?

2010-11-02T14:14:40Z

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Benefits and Cost-Sharing of Medicare Advantage

2010-10-14T11:58:37Z

"Amazing as it sounds, there are over ten million people enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan," remarks Alan Weinstock an insurance broker at www.MedicareSupplementPlans.com. "That's one in four people on Medicare."

And these plans c...

What Medicare means for my practice

2010-11-02T13:56:17Z

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UnitedHealth: Earnings Improve, But Will the Momentum Hold?

2010-11-02T12:08:42Z

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Metropolitan Health Networks Inc. Q1 2010 Earnings Call Transcript

2010-10-27T06:34:43Z

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Universal American Corp. Q1 2010 Earnings Call Transcript

2010-10-27T06:33:09Z

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Humana's 1st-quarter earnings at a Glance

2010-04-26T11:45:29Z

Health insurer Humana posts 19 percent gain in Medicare Advantage membership

Health insurer Humana Inc., one of the biggest players in the Medicare Advantage business, posted a 26 percent increase in first-quarter profit Monday.

Here's a breakdown of how the L...

Earnings Preview: Humana

2010-10-27T06:30:41Z

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How to Change Medicare Advantage Plans

2010-10-25T13:03:34Z

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U.S. private Medicare plans see flat payment change

2010-04-05T16:30:35Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health regulators on Monday called for flat government payments next year to private insurers offering Medicare health coverage to the elderly, in line with recently passed health care legislation.

So-called Medi...

First changes would start six months after bill becomes law

2010-03-23T02:16:05Z

Insurance companies would have to alter some practices

WASHINGTON — Even as Congress draws closer to passing historic health care reform legislation, many Nevadans remain confused about what the overhaul would mean to them.

Campaigns have been fierce on both sides of the debate, often spreading misinformation that distorts the facts (remember Òdeath panelsÓ?) or glossing over the hard realities (...

Medicare's Perspective Payment System Is Not The Primary Cause Of Early Hospital Readmission

2010-10-14T13:21:30Z

Studies show that 10% of Medicare beneficiary's early hospital readmissions were preventable. "There were 301,017 readmissions that were clinically related" (Norbert I. Goldfield, 2008) to a previous admission which was classified as be preventable or unnecessary. Statistics show that hospitals that have been effective in creating discharge plans experience lower readmission rates. Although the need for case management services has increased over the last decade, the concept is not new. "Cas...

Medicare panel urges insurer payment cuts

2010-03-01T11:15:29Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Medicare should cut U.S. government payments to private insurers and home healthcare providers, an advisory panel said in nonbinding recommendations released on Monday.

The Medicare Payment A...

Government proposes higher Medicare payments for insurers

2010-04-16T07:02:12Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Health officials on Friday proposed an increase in government payments to private insurers that offer Medicare health coverage to seniors, a major area of growth for the industry.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a preliminary 1.38 percent hike for 2011 to a baseli...

Medicare Advantage plans offer maze of choices

2010-04-16T07:13:48Z

Medicare Advantage open enrollment period comes with maze of plan choices to sort through

A dizzying array of choices awaits those searching for a Medicare Advantage plan.

The average Medicare beneficiary has about 33 Advantage plans to chose from this year.

Medicare Advantage plans are privately run versions of the government's...

Medicare cost plans face uncertain future

2010-11-02T12:43:11Z

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Seniors worry about Medicare Advantage cuts

2010-06-25T19:08:57Z

Insurers constantly caution seniors that their Medicare Advantage perks such as hearing aids, dental payments and even gym memberships will fizzle if Democrats get their way and cut government subsidies for them.

But tens of billions of Medicare dollars funneled through insurers also p...

UnitedHealth 3Q profit rises, enrollment falls

2010-04-16T09:45:04Z

UnitedHealth 3rd-qtr profit, revenue surpass estimates but commercial enrollment falls

Managed care company UnitedHealth Group Inc. saw its third-quarter profit jump 13 percent, as growth in several businesses helped balance another enrollment decline and fight off a touch of swine flu.

The Minnetonka, Health care issues: Would the Medicare Advantage program see cuts in benefits?

A look at key issues in the health care debate:

THE ISSUE: Would cuts in the various health care bills pending in Congress affect the benefits available in Medicare Advantage?

THE POLITICS: Medicare Advantage is part of Medicare, but is an alternative...

FACT CHECK: Health insurers cherry-pick facts

2010-04-16T09:50:17Z

FACT CHECK: Health insurers cherry-pick facts in attacking Dem bill curbing health care costs

In its assaults on a Democratic health care overhaul bill, the insurance industry uses facts selectively and mixes accurate assertions with misleading spin and an embrace of worst-case scenarios.

Take the 30-second TV spot that America's Health Insurance Plans, the indust...

What cuts in Medicare would mean for seniors

2010-04-16T09:57:47Z

AARP says theyÕd be felt by insurers and providers, not patients

WASHINGTON For seniors, the nearly $500 billion in Medicare cuts proposed in the health reform bills moving through Congress can be a frightening proposition less money for the popular program they rely on to help pay their medical bills.

Barry...

How health care overhaul could change Medicare

2010-04-16T10:01:08Z

Seniors want to know: What would health care overhaul do to Medicare?

Businessman Stewart Grill, 75, believes there's waste in Medicare. He's just skeptical Congress can find and eliminate it without touching what he likes about his government health care plan.

"The talk of potential savings is a little beyond comprehension," Grill said. "Why hasn't it b...

Obama's Medicare Disadvantage

2010-10-22T07:46:32Z

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The Cost of Annoying a Senator: Federal Investigation

2010-10-24T09:54:57Z

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Ensign will offer 30 tweaks to bill

2010-06-25T20:33:51Z

Critics say heÕs out to attract attention, not improve legislation

WASHINGTON Republican Sen. John Ensign vowed to focus on health care reform, to show Nevadans he is working hard for them after the distractions that accompanied his disclosure of an affair this summer.

This week Ensign is poised to try to do that with more than 30 amendments ...

Budget chief contradicts Obama on Medicare costs

2010-04-16T10:11:21Z

Congress' budget chief contradicts Obama, says Medicare benefits would be cut under plan

Congress' chief budget officer on Tuesday contradicted President Barack Obama's oft-stated claim that seniors wouldn't see their Medicare benefits cut under a health care overhaul.

The head of the nonpartisan GOP leaders accuse Democrats of 'gagging' insurance companies' criticism of health care bill

Republican lawmakers rebuked the Obama administration Tuesday for telling health insurance companies to stop warning elderly customers they'll lose benefits in health care legislation, which some equated to a gag order.

At least one promin...

Sticker Shock

2010-04-16T10:11:41Z

Cuts in private plansÕ subsidies could force changes on seniors

WASHINGTON One battle cry from senior citizens in the health care debate has rung loud and clear: Keep government out of my Medicare.

Its a line that has drawn chuckles because Medicare is, of course, nothing if not a government-run program a creation of the Great Society vision of the 1960s that today provides taxpayer money to care for 45Êmill...

Rules rein in Medicare Advantage marketing

2010-04-16T10:35:27Z

Popular Medicare Advantage plans see marketing practices reined in, but confusion remains

Regulators clamped down last fall on shady sales practices for privately run Medicare health insurance for the elderly.

New regulations for the plans, known as Medicare Advantage, banned unsolicited phone calls and door-to-door sales. They stoppe...

Some question private Medicare plans' advantage

2010-04-16T10:35:27Z

Cecile Sangiamo liked her health insurance — until she needed to use it.

The 72-year-old Clearwater, Fla., resident had been on the federally subsidized, privately run Medicare Advantage policy through WellCare Inc. for about three years when she start...

On the call: Cigna President David Cordani

2010-04-16T11:04:37Z

Cigna discusses Medicare Part D, Medicare Advantage business

Investors sent Cigna shares up more than 4 percent in Thursday afternoon trading after the health insurer reported a 60-percent jump in second-quarter profit.

But the company saw a 14 percent drop in revenue t...

Universal American rises following upgrade

2010-09-22T13:14:11Z

Goldman Sachs says Universal American stock price includes Medicare Advantage challenges

Shares of health insurance provider Universal American Corp. advanced Monday following an upgrade from a Goldman Sachs analyst, who said the ...

UnitedHealth earnings fall but top expectations

2010-09-22T13:27:45Z

UnitedHealth earnings fall on decline in investment income, shrinking margins but top views

UnitedHealth Group Inc. topped analyst expectations when it reported a slightly smaller first-quarter profit Tuesday, but company leaders say the sour economy is offsetting some of the gains the health insurer made.

Declining enrollment in employer-sponsored plans and rising enrollment in le...

Shares of Medicare Advantage Companies Rise On News of Cuts

2010-10-23T22:24:04Z

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Government announces 2010 Medicare Advantage rates

2010-04-16T15:43:41Z

Government announces 2010 Medicare Advantage rates; analyst predicts reimbursement will fall

The federal government said Monday it will bump up a rate used to figure Medicare Advantage reimbursement to insurers, but many analysts expect overall payment rates to fall next year.

That raises some concern for how lower reimbursement will affect the plans, which allow the elderly and di...

How to Avoid Health Care Scams-Frauds

2010-10-21T11:04:54Z

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Obama budget to hit HMO stocks

2010-06-25T23:55:59Z

HMO sector may have given up one of the few spots in the market that had some relative strength.

The Morgan Stanley Health Payors Index (HMO) and Unitedhealth Group, former bastions of relative strength gave up some ground on Monday, as the details of President Obama&...

Insurer stocks tumble after Medicare announcement

2010-09-22T13:24:48Z

Managed care stocks tumble following announcement of 2010 Medicare rates

Several managed care stocks sank sharply Monday, one trading day after the government surprised analysts with a lower-than-expected increase in Medicare Advantage reimbursements for 2010.

The Health insurer Humana reports 28 percent drop in 4th-quarter profit

Health insurer Humana Inc. reported a 28 percent drop in fourth-quarter profit Monday, driven by higher claim expenses from its stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plans, lower investment income and a loss in its commercial business.

The company again predicted a big turnaround in the nex...

Feds Propose Ban of Hard Sell on Private Medicare Plans

2010-10-23T19:15:13Z

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Where Should the Money for Primary Care Come From?

2010-10-23T19:15:09Z

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WellPoint blocked from new patients in 2 plans

2010-04-16T15:21:25Z

WellPoint Inc. said Monday the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services suspended the company from enrolling new patients in the health insurance Medicare Advantage plan and the prescription drug benefit, Medicare insurers' profits exceeded expectations by $1.3B, stir calls for lower payments

Health insurance companies that serve the elderly and disabled in Medicare are realizing significantly higher profits than they anticipated, resulting in the companies getting $1.3 billion more than projected, congressional auditors say.

Under a program called Medicare officials hint at coming crackdown on growing insurance agent commissions

Federal health officials said Friday they will soon address growing concerns about the lucrative commissions that some Medicare insurers plan to pay their agents and brokers this year.

In Medicare, the elderly and disabled can enroll in private insurance plans that assume responsibility for covering a participant's health benefit...

Congressman: Private Medicare Brokers Have Incentive to ‘Churn’ Seniors

2010-10-23T19:12:45Z

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Senate hearing

2010-10-23T19:12:45Z

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Cigna adds more states for Medicare Advantage

2010-04-16T13:08:12Z

Managed care provider Cigna Corp. will add 15 more states to its market for individual Medicare Advantage plans next year as part of a push to grow its senior business.

The Philadelphia-based insurer will introduce the plans in California...

Medicare Advantage Plans Get Lion's Share of Insurers' Ad Dollars

2010-10-23T16:00:32Z

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Humana to pay $750,000 to resolve Wis. complaints

2010-04-16T13:22:49Z

Insurer Humana agrees to $750,000 settlement to resolve marketing complaints in Wisconsin

Humana Insurance Co. has agreed to pay the state of Wisconsin $750,000 to settle complaints about its marketing and other practices.

Insurance Commissioner Sean Dilweg says the settlement will protect seniors from ...

Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage in the House of Wax

2010-10-21T10:02:54Z

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Congress votes to override veto on Medicare bill

2010-04-16T16:47:45Z

Congress on Tuesday rejected President Bush's veto of legislation protecting doctors from a 10.6 percent cut in their reimbursement rates when treating Medicare patients.

The override vote in the House was a lopsided 383-41, easily meeting the two-thirds threshold needed to nullify the president's veto. About an hour later, the Senate voted to override, 70-26.

Bush has ...

Congress Overrides Bush Veto of Medic...

2010-10-26T10:17:31Z

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Page Three: Medicare Reimbursement Cuts Likely to Cut Seniors' Access to Care

2010-06-26T02:20:02Z

Nevada physicians stand to lose Nevada Medical Association said.$80 million in the next 18 months if Medicare cuts go through, the chief of the

Congress failed to stop a 10.6 percent cut to the physician reimbursement rate that goes into effect this month. The House passed the bill 355 to 59 J...

Partisan fight over Medicare could render seniors victims

2010-04-16T16:52:36Z

WASHINGTON — Doctors across Nevada are weighing whether to continue accepting new Medicare patients if Congress fails to stop a 10 percent pay cut to Medicare providers scheduled to take hold next week.

In the past, Congress has been able to prevent the annual pay cut, an unintended consequence of new Medicare reimbursement formu...

A health policy turning point?

2010-10-21T10:02:38Z

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Medicare Advantage: An Even Earlier Demise?

2010-10-21T09:36:26Z

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House Blocks Medicare Pay Cut. What's Next?

2010-10-23T10:03:08Z

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Senate Bill to Boost Doctor Pay Fails Key Vote

2010-10-23T10:02:59Z

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Medicare Advantage plans

2010-10-22T23:05:59Z

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News on Medicare Advantage Plan