Amongst the daily alerts we receive about COVID-19 is an email that comes from Medicare.com for those seniors who have an online Medicare account, and is one that all seniors need to understand and heed.

It just arrived in my email inbox, and begins, “Scammers may use COVID-19 as an opportunity to steal your identity and commit Medicare fraud. (emphasis added) In some cases, they might tell you they’ll send you a Coronavirus test, masks, or other items in exchange for your Medicare number or personal information. Be wary of unsolicited requests for your Medicare number or other personal information.”

The health industry continues to increase premium costs. This is why some insurance companies chose to opt out of ObamaCare in 2016. They were simply not willing to live with consumer-friendly requirements that bit into their profits. Ryan’s plan, “…would erode much-needed coverage and shift costs to many who live on fixed incomes and continue to struggle in the shadow of the Great Recession.” AARP Bulletin, January-February 2017

A full repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) would eliminate all the Medicare benefits created by the law, including free preventive services (flu shots and screenings for cancer and diabetes), savings on prescription drugs and the future of Medicare with a slow-down of spending, fraud, waste and excessive payments.

Truth vs Distortion There is a lot of talk (hot air?) in the news media about reforming Social Security and Medicare. Some claim both systems are ‘broken’ and need ‘fixing’. Others quote the dire predictions about Social Security going ‘broke’ by 2033. Medicare is ‘socialized medicine’ and needs to be thrown to the dogs. What […]

Medicare Coverage Remains Essentially the Same Much of Medicare coverage that we seniors have will not change with the implementation of the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA) in 2014. The health care law protects our basic Medicare benefits. Our coverage for doctor and hospital visits does not change. The one thing it does add is […]

Seniors Find Information on the Internet Ever wonder why your congress-person voted the way he/she did? Senior citizens who use the Internet a lot follow Social Security and Medicare issues, legislation affecting both programs and what writers are saying about them. Now there is another tool to help us stay in touch with the background […]

The 2013 Medicare Trustees’ Report is now available for public review. It is good news for seniors because it cites only a small increase in beneficiary spending. Marilyn Tavenner, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said this:

“Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, we are taking important steps to improve the delivery of care for seniors with Medicare. These reforms aim to reduce spending while improving the quality of care, and are an important down payment on solving Medicare’s long term financial issues,” (AARP blog)

Those Weird Numbers on Your Medicare Card When seniors apply for their Medicare card, it is sent to them with their Social Security number as the identifier, plus a code. Most of us have an ‘A’ after our SSN.  Like this:  xxx-xx-xxxxA.  But some people have strange numbers and we were recently asked about it.  […]

Review Medicare Statements Carefully Every caregiver with responsibility for checking and paying bills for elderly loved ones has a responsibility to check for Medicare fraud. You might be thinking, “How in the world do I do that?”  This true story might help you determine what you can do. Eight months ago, when an elderly loved […]

Open Enrollment Period:  October 15-December 7 The Open Enrollment Period for Medicare is also known as the Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP). This three week period of time this year (2012) is when you can make changes in your Medicare coverage if you want.  The AEP applies to original Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans and Part […]

How Should Medicare Be Changed? There is a lot of discussion across the country about how Medicare should be changed. Many who are not yet Medicare beneficiaries suggest changes that would radically and negatively affect the quality of health care many seniors enjoy.   AARP has been conducting a national conversation on Medicare (and Social Security […]