Healthcare Savvy

  • Home
  • About
    • Members
  • Share your Story
    • Write A Post
  • You Won’t Believe This One…
  • Discussing Costs
    • Talking About Costs
    • Getting the Best Care
    • Shopping for Care
    • Paying for Treatment
    • Budgeting Care
  • Discussing Quality
  • Resources
    • Prices for Care
    • Comparing Quality
    • Negotiating Bills
    • Managing Bills
    • Patient Networks
Profile picture of Dennis Byron

Dennis Byron

@dennisbyron active 1 week, 2 days ago
  • Activity
  • Profile
  • Personal
  • Mentions
  • Favorites
  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron commented on the post, Crazy, irrational hospital billing (with no connection to quality) 1 week, 2 days ago

    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 […]

  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron commented on the post, Should Medicare fund sex change surgery? 1 month, 2 weeks ago

    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, […]

  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron commented on the post, Should Medicare fund sex change surgery? 1 month, 2 weeks ago

    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 […]

  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron commented on the post, Empowering Healthcare Consumers 3 months, 2 weeks ago

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

  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron wrote a new post, Senior Citizens, Sign Up Now: “Medicare Open Enrollment” Ends March 31 3 months, 2 weeks ago

    OK, I bet you thought “Medicare open enrollment1″ for 2013 ended December 7, 2012.

    That’s the conventional wisdom.  Actually enrollment time for Original Medicare is now through March 31, 2013 and those who […]

  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron commented on the post, Medicare 2013: It’s That Time of Year Again and Medicare’s Still Not Simple 5 months ago

    micro…

    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 […]

  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron commented on the post, The “Medicare Price” of Enbrel Is Not Changing for 2012 5 months, 2 weeks ago

    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 […]

  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron commented on the post, Medicare’s money problems in pictures 5 months, 3 weeks ago

    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 […]

  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron commented on the post, Picking a Medicare Part D Drug Plan Is Not as Confusing as They Say 5 months, 4 weeks ago

    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 […]

  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron commented on the post, Medicare 2013: It’s That Time of Year Again and Medicare’s Still Not Simple 5 months, 4 weeks ago

    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 […]

  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron commented on the post, Picking a Medicare Part D Drug Plan Is Not as Confusing as They Say 5 months, 4 weeks ago

    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 […]

  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron wrote a new post, Picking a Medicare Part D Drug Plan Is Not as Confusing as They Say 6 months ago

    Thumbnail(The following information applies to Cape Cod, Massachusetts where I live but — with different numbers — the same is true around Massachusetts and most of the United States:)

    Despite the ranting of some and […]

  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron commented on the post, Medicare 2013: It’s That Time of Year Again and Medicare’s Still Not Simple 6 months ago

    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 […]

  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron commented on the post, Your health data could be worth over $3,000 / year 6 months, 3 weeks ago

    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 […]

  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron commented on the post, Your health data could be worth over $3,000 / year 6 months, 4 weeks ago

    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 […]

  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron wrote a new post, Warn Seniors Not to Buy the Most Expensive Medicare Part D Plan in the County 7 months, 1 week ago

    There is an interesting article posted on the Health Day blog of U.S. News October 11 headlined

     “Many Seniors Overpaying for Medicare Drug Plans”

    The underlying research comes from a University of Pittsburg […]

  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron commented on the post, It’s Really Not Medicare Open Enrollment Time 7 months, 2 weeks ago

    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 […]

  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron wrote a new post, It’s Really Not Medicare Open Enrollment Time 7 months, 2 weeks ago

    When I wrote a few weeks ago about Medicare saying that it was “almost that time of year again,” I did not mean it was Medicare open enrollment time,  And when you read story after story over the next two months […]

  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron commented on the post, Medicare 2013: It’s That Time of Year Again and Medicare’s Still Not Simple 7 months, 3 weeks ago

    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 […]

  • Profile picture of Dennis Byron

    Dennis Byron wrote a new post, Medicare 2013: It’s That Time of Year Again and Medicare’s Still Not Simple 8 months ago

    ThumbnailIn 2011 I wrote that signing up for Medicare is not simple (link broken). Well it’s time for an update and the bad news is that Medicare is still not simple.  Here is an update to my 2011 explanation:

    If you’re […]

  • Load More

Please create an account to get started.

Members

Newest | Active
  • Profile picture of Julius Strickland
    Julius Strickland
    active 5 minutes ago
  • Profile picture of Jerry Lin
    Jerry Lin
    active 1 hour, 49 minutes ago
  • Profile picture of Alton Hanks
    Alton Hanks
    active 2 hours, 44 minutes ago
  • Profile picture of Caleb Wentworth
    Caleb Wentworth
    active 5 hours, 14 minutes ago
  • Profile picture of Blanca Sommers
    Blanca Sommers
    active 5 hours, 16 minutes ago

Your Interests

dental diabetes fitness Health care apps health care costs health care quality Health Insurance Hospital Bills Insurance Bills International Health Care lifestyle Medical Care Medical Debt Medicare Member Stories mental health News nutrition Quality of care Women's care

Tweets about Healthcare Savvy

  1. hcsavvy
    hcsavvy: Exercises to ease back pain | Healthcare Savvy http://t.co/yasgX8vNWA
    about 3 days ago

  2. hcsavvy
    hcsavvy: When it comes to meds, resist that urge to share your leftovers: http://t.co/CpHXmmSa1R
    about 1 week ago

  3. hcsavvy
    hcsavvy: If you're using an app instead of asking your doctor about a health problem, think twice: http://t.co/Wndh4PpXTK
    about 1 week ago

  4. hcsavvy
    hcsavvy: Will patients do anything abt #hospitals that charge 5x more to treat heart failure w/ no proof of better quality? http://t.co/eiR1HM03rn
    about 1 week ago

  5. hcsavvy
    hcsavvy: Value of yoga | Healthcare Savvy http://t.co/KSVQBMcqhT
    about 1 week ago

Resources

  • Clear Health Costs
  • Fair Health
  • Healthcare Blue Book
  • My Health Care Options
  • New Choice Health
  • NH Health Cost
  • Members

    Newest | Active
    • Profile picture of Julius Strickland
      Julius Strickland
      active 5 minutes ago
    • Profile picture of Jerry Lin
      Jerry Lin
      active 1 hour, 49 minutes ago
    • Profile picture of Alton Hanks
      Alton Hanks
      active 2 hours, 44 minutes ago
    • Profile picture of Caleb Wentworth
      Caleb Wentworth
      active 5 hours, 14 minutes ago
    • Profile picture of Blanca Sommers
      Blanca Sommers
      active 5 hours, 16 minutes ago
    • Profile picture of Janeen Fleming
      Janeen Fleming
      active 5 hours, 31 minutes ago
    • Profile picture of Juana Large
      Juana Large
      active 5 hours, 33 minutes ago
    • Profile picture of Brent Gunn
      Brent Gunn
      active 10 hours, 49 minutes ago
    • Profile picture of Don Huey
      Don Huey
      active 10 hours, 53 minutes ago
    • Profile picture of Homer Gunderson
      Homer Gunderson
      active 11 hours, 11 minutes ago
    • Profile picture of Ewan Patten
      Ewan Patten
      active 15 hours, 38 minutes ago
    • Profile picture of Sherrie Wu
      Sherrie Wu
      active 15 hours, 40 minutes ago
    • Profile picture of Nicole Landry
      Nicole Landry
      active 16 hours, 27 minutes ago
    • Profile picture of Dominique Halcomb
      Dominique Halcomb
      active 16 hours, 32 minutes ago
    • Profile picture of Larry Mercado
      Larry Mercado
      active 16 hours, 45 minutes ago
    • Profile picture of Leia Redmon
      Leia Redmon
      active 18 hours, 57 minutes ago
    • Profile picture of Celeste Gurley
      Celeste Gurley
      active 19 hours, 50 minutes ago
    • Profile picture of Cassandra Edmondson
      Cassandra Edmondson
      active 19 hours, 50 minutes ago
    • Profile picture of Heath William
      Heath William
      active 20 hours, 46 minutes ago
    • Profile picture of Sergio Beaver
      Sergio Beaver
      active 21 hours, 38 minutes ago

Copyright WBUR and Trustees of Boston University