Healthcare Savvy

Based on Mr. Levy’s comment on this subject on the ComonHealth blog, I think you are framing the question wrong, Martha. This so-called “billing” information may not have any relation to quality but it also […]

Hi Martha —

Please explain the rest of the story. Why did CMS pull back on receiving comments so soon after asking for them? I assume it’s because they are questioning whether any part of CMS — Medicaid, […]

If nothing else, asking this question opens up a lot of the issues vis a vis Medicare reform. For example, I know it is your first reaction to equate Medicare with old age. But between 10%-20% of people on […]

Does this rule apply to Medicare beneficiaries in Massachusetts? Or just to people covered by the new law?

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FYI, this web site is based in Massachusetts and — I think — so are most of its readers. Plan F is not availalbe in Massachusetts (nor are any of the plans with letters following them). The […]

Good information, Dan. The post you are commenting on was written 13 months ago.

I hope things are changing for the better for people on Medicare that need Enbrel. However I am not seeing any change on the […]

The chart you have reprinted from the Kaiser Insurance Company foundation by way of JAMA is grossly misleading in a variety of ways. It is so unfortunate that people cannot have a meaningful debate in today’s […]

P Gavan

Thanks for the response and clarifications. Please note my initial paragraph that the original post was written for one part of Massachusetts but I think it applies all over Massachusetts and to a […]

Chris Tweedy

Thanks. You are correct, I misread Mary’s question to be about the Part B premium not the Part B deductible.

However, I think it is incorrect for you to say “most Medicare beneficiaries will see […]

Thanks for the comment but no, that is not my experience. I think your description is an example of how many people over-complicate the Part D program for us seniors… and are possibly purposely trying to scare […]

Mary

Still haven’t heard (as of 11/14).

Apparently the announcement of the Part B premium for 2013 was delayed until after the election although in most years of the last 20 years the new Part B rate was […]

Doctor, Assuming you mean me and not someone named Lee, the answer to your questions (but not in order) are

1. The reference to Reagan was in response to your quote from UPitt: “Our findings suggest that […]

Doctor

Sorry but don’t spend all that money yet There are problems with both the UPitt research you cite and your logic flowing from the research.

Number one, I wrote about this Parf-D-specific UPitt […]

Martha, this is somewhat of a flip answer but I think it’s accurate. There are two easy ways for a person over 65 to avoid most but not all of the Medicare complications:

1. Keep working!! But of course it has […]

To Chris Fenton

A couple of things:
1. I am not an insurance agent. I am a SHIP (SHINE in Massachusetts) volunteer certified by the Medicare bureaucracy to help seniors (I am one). I tell you that because […]