At first glance, the reduction of $716 billion in Medicare funding over the course of the next 10 years comes off as treachery. It's the most severe and costly cut to the program yet. And if your elderly parents or other loved ones rely on Medicare for health coverage, it will have a direct impact on your family.
Health insurance has seen some major changes in the U.S. over the last several years – including changes made to Medicare. These changes have made healthcare more widely available – and at more competitive rates – for a large portion of the population. As these options have expanded, those looking for senior healthcare have been given some new options both within and outside of Medicare.
High costs for medical care and prescriptions are an unfortunate– but, sadly, often unavoidable– part of senior healthcare. Even if your loved ones are covered by Medicare and/or Medicaid, there are still going to be some aspects of their care that may become financially overwhelming, especially when it comes to medications or services that your love one needs regularly and for a long period of time.
Like many Americans, you probably have a lot of questions about the Affordable Care Act— the first major overhaul of the American healthcare system in decades. While the legislation may be difficult to decipher and we’ve not yet seen how the long-term impact of the law will play out, the early indications are good for American seniors.
It can be difficult for a senior living on a fixed income to cover necessary expenses like rent or medical bills, but it’s easy enough to find local, state and, federal programs that can help older adults on lower incomes cover their current and future care expenses.
We’ve found that a lot of older adults aren’t really sure what kind of medical and wellness expenses their Medicare plan actually covers. And with Medicare’s annual open enrollment period not long past (enrollment ended December 7), it’s more important than ever that seniors know what to expect from Medicare—especially if you changed plans during open enrollment.
A growing trend in recent years has been for medical and dental providers to offer medical financing to patients for procedures or medical devices not covered by insurance. Older patients on Medicare have been particularly targeted for such marketing.
If you are a senior living on Medicare, your yearly open enrollment period is now open. It lasts through December 7. Any changes made now to your healthcare coverage will take effect on January 1.
Here’s what you need to know for 2014.
Don Makos of MB Senior Solutions (MBSS) recently shared the story of an older adult who came into the MBSS offices looking for information and advice on how to pay for two medications that their doctor had prescribed—Advair and Nexium.
This individual had no idea that differences in Medicare coverage could turn the out-of-pocket expense for the medicines into a $2500 expenditure.
