Is Universal Health Care Good For Elderly Home Health Care???

The common misconception is universal health care means everyone will get "free" health care...end of story. But this is not the end of the story, but just the beginning. The beginning of what? The beginning of the loss of privacy, the beginning of the loss of availability of doctors and medicine, the beginning of the decline in overall health care, the beginning of the long lines and the delays, the beginning of rationing of health care and the beginning of greater tax burdens for those still healthy enough to work.

Starting with the loss of privacy you can see the prelude to this in a recent case in California where police were sanctioned by the courts to break in unannounced into a welfare recipient's home to search for evidence of welfare fraud. The medicine cabinet will be the major focus of the health care police and before long other items like gun safes will be fair game.

The doctors will soon enough realize the compensation and paper work plus the harassment, high fines and threats of jail time hardly constitutes a worth while career. High risk work without the commensurate compensation is not an incentive to continue.

New drugs will begin to disappear from the market as the cost of discovery is eaten up by bureaucratic dictates, political favoritism of those manufacturers who comply with the highest contributors to candidates and the long wait for government approval becomes too expensive to bear.

Today you can still call a doctors office and schedule an appointment in a reasonable period of time to have your condition examined and treated. Tomorrow you will call an 800 number, wait for an automated response that will tell you are to push several buttons, enter your medical authorization number, punch in your personal medical history, document our past medical expenditures and listen for a response that will you your priority number and who you should contact via another automated system that will schedule an appointment if your condition warrants an appointment according to government criteria.

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Cost Of Elderly Care Is Double Prior Estimates!!!

The out-of-pocket cost of caring for an aging parent or spouse averages $5,531 a year, according to the nation's first in-depth study of such expenses, a sum that is more than double previous estimates and more than the average American household spends each year on health care and entertainment combined.

Family members responsible for ailing loved one provide not only "hands on" care, but reach often into their own pockets to pay for many other expenses of care recipients, including groceries and household goods, drugs and medical co-payments and transportation, which nudges the average cost of long-distance care giving to $8,728 a year.

These caregivers, spending on average 10 percent of their household income, manage the financial burden by taking out loans, skipping vacations, dipping into savings or ignoring their own health care.

These findings, and others, come from a telephone survey of 1,000 adults currently caring for someone over the age of 50 who needs help with activities like bathing, preparing meals, shopping or managing finances. It is the first systematic look at out-of-pocket spending among the estimated 34 million Americans providing care for an older (50-plus) family member or friends, and it builds on a landmark 2004 study.

The survey, which was released this past Monday, is expected to be the centerpiece of a Capitol Hill briefing this week. The survey was conducted by the National Alliance for Caregiving, a research and policy organization, and Evercare, a division of the United Health Group, which coordinates long-term care for 15,000 clients. The report urges government relief for family caregivers, whether tax deductions, tax credits or other stipends, all of which have stalled in Congress in the past.

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Senior Medical Insurance Decisions Must Be Made Soon!!!

Seniors should look closely at their insurance plans because many of them are increasing premiums, co-payments and deductibles. Those 65 and older have a lot of information to dig through. Many are a little overwhelmed with their choices in health insurance.

After looking at choices many are picking a private fee service plan. It can be a low cost alternative for many beneficiaries in traditional medicare. The ideal candidate who would look at some plans as a Medicare Advantage program, is someone that's currently enrolled in Part A and Part B and is looking for alternative medical coverage.

Medicare Advantage plans cover both drugs and medical services such as hospital stays and doctor visits. It will definitely benefit a medicare beneficiary to sit down with a license and trained certified representative, and compare their current coverage, to truly determine what's best for them.

If you decide to enroll in AveraAdvantage, you're still in the medicare program. That means you're still entitled to all the necessary health services that are covered. It's important for people to review their medicare plan choices now and choose the plan that best suits their needs. After January 1, most people will be locked into the plan they choose for the rest of the year.

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Enrollment Upcoming For Changes In Senior Major Medical Insurance Coverage

This past Thursday marked an important day for senior citizens. It was opening day of re-enrollment for Medicare Part D. Meaning that Seniors can change their major medical insurance coverage for the upcoming year. This is the second year of the program that provides government subsidies for prescription drugs to more than 6 million seniors.

The biggest change this year is that insurance companies have discovered what worked and what didn't work in the first year of the program and have made adjustments. The major adjustment is how much the coverage will cost seniors. Overall, 95 percent of Part D providers are raising at least some drug costs, Consumers Union says.

And premiums vary more widely. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said the average premium will decrease 14 percent while Avalere Health, a Medicare consultant, claims an average 21 percent increase in premiums among the Top 10 insurers.

The changes in drug costs and premiums for 2008 make shopping around especially important, said Lisa Hietala, executive director of the Senior Health Insurance Assistance Program, a consumer advocate agency. The deadline to select a new insurer for Part D coverage next year is December 31, but Hietala recommends making a decision by December 8 so the insurance card can be received by the start of the year. Doing nothing means a senior will have to accept any changes from his or her current insurer.

Hietala cautions seniors to look closely at their insurers' benefit changes to make sure their drugs will still be offered next year and at what price. Then check the monthly premium charge. Some insurers that set low premiums last year to draw in seniors are now increasing them, according to Avalere Health.

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Ford Retirees Must Choose Senior Medical Insurance!!!

After years of getting generous health insurance benefits, 40,000 Ford Motor Co. management retirees - including about 22,00 in Michigan - are to begin signing up today for Medicare plans in an all-out battle by insurers to challenge the longtime stronghold of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

The benefit changes to what is called a Health Reimbursement Arrangement are to take effect January 1. Retired Ford managers or their surviving spouses have until December 31 to sign up for a Medicare plan. Each retiree gets $1,800 and a spouse or same-sex domestic partner gets the same amount, to pay for a year of medical, dental, prescription, vision and other health costs.

ExtendHealth, a San Francisco benefits management company hired by Ford to help retirees choose new plans, gets as many as 3,000 calls for help a day, said Brian Tenner, senior vice president.

Some retirees find that selecting new coverage from hundreds of options is overwhelming. Even highly educated, Web-savvy retirees say the task can be daunting.

ExtendHealth estimates "the average Ford couple will save $400 to $500 a year," Tenner said, by purchasing targeted Medicare plans, compared with what they spent on premiums and co-pays this year. To get those kinds of savings, retirees have to study and compare notes.

Several insurers, particularly Health Alliance Plan of Detroit and Humana Inc. of Louisville, Ky., see the Ford retiree pool as a big opportunity to pick up business from Blue Cross, the state's largest insurer, with 4.6 million members.

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You Are In For A Battle If You Are Looking For Senior Medical Care Insurance Rates!!!

This Thursday marks the official opening of hunting season on the Medicare herd. If you are 65 or older, that is.

For the next six weeks, seniors can switch to a different Medicare plan or keep your current coverage; you can enroll in a prescription drug program or switch programs. This means you will be invited to workshops, inundated with mailings and must each answer the question: "Do I have the right coverage at the most reasonable cost?"

To help us along, the feds recently mailed the 140-page epistle, "Medicare and You, 2008." It is at times helpful, but often a little vague when it comes to specifics. But I guess that is the story of Medicare in general. Will pay, won't pay, will only pay, may not pay, lots of luck to you and your doc.

So here is what I do know. It is imperative that you know that your physician, any specialist you see and any clinic that has specialists you may need to see, will accept the Medicare coverage you can choose.

Right now, there are physicians and clinics that will not accept any new Medicare patients, period. There are clinics that have told their current clinics they will no longer accept certain Medicare Advantage plans.

Recently the Everett Clinic informed 1,200 patients they have until January 2009 to change Medicare Advantage plans or seek care elsewhere. However, there are several Medical Advantage plans this clinic will continue to honor.

There is a distinct difference between Medicare Advantage plans and plain old Medicare parts A and B. With basic Medicare plans A and B, bills go to Medicare, which almost never pays the full amount, so the remainder is paid by your private supplemental insurance or by you.

Medicare Advantage Plans combine Medicare plans A and B in a private insurance plan. There are co-pays for covered services. Rules vary. Some require you to see only doctors and hospitals that are part of their plan coverage. The insurance company handles your claims and pays the bills. Then Medicare pays the company. Like Medicare, these plans rarely pay the actual costs of services billed.

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Companies Addressing Senior Major Medical Insurance Rates!!!

The long-term fiscal balance of the United States will be determined primarily by the future rate of growth of health care costs, as we have recently noted. If cost per enrollee in Medicare and Medicaid continued to grow at the same rate as they have over the past four decades, federal spending on those two programs alone would increase from about 5% of the gross domestic product today to about 20% by 2050 - roughly the share of the economy now accounted by the entire federal budget.

Compounding the challenge for policymakers is the difficulty of controlling federal spending over the long term without addressing the underlying forces behind the increase in both private and public health costs.

A variety of evidence, however, suggests that there are opportunities to constrain health care costs without incurring adverse health consequences. One approach that could reduce total health care spending involves generating more information about the relative effectiveness of medical treatments and enhancing the incentives for providers to supply, and consumers to demand, effective care.

One approach that might improve the cost-effectiveness of disease-management and care-coordination strategies involves more accurately targeting these efforts toward the patients who would benefit the most. Indeed, the concept of better targeting inherent in all the options considered here, from enhanced research on treatments to the designing of financial incentives.

As medicine moves toward increasingly targeted therapies, the options for shifting insurance designs in the same direction merit consideration as policymakers grapple with the serious financial challenges faced by our public and private health insurance programs.

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Penn Treaty Launches Program To Help Medical Insurance For Seniors

Penn Treaty American Corporation, a pioneer in the long-term care insurance industry, has initiated the Wellness Privileges Program, offering wellness services designed to help policyholders live more healthy, independent lives.

Highlighting the wellness services is the Brain Fitness Program, a computer-based mental exercise program that guides users through a series of exercises designed to help improve memory, strengthen communication, and sharpen thinking skills with the ultimate goal of delaying the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

In addition to the Brain Fitness Program, the Wellness Privileges Program will offer lifestyle coaching, which is focused upon the policyholder's specific health conditions and risks; an emergency response service that provides nationwide medical alerts and medical alarm systems; and critical disease screening, which includes heart, aorta, cartoid artery scans and osteoporosis screenings for early detection of these problems.

Designed exclusively for Penn Treaty long-term care insurance policyholders, the Wellness Privileges Program will be rolled out over the next year. The various offerings under the Wellness Privileges Program will be available to policyholders for free or at a discounted rate.

This program was designed with senior citizens in mind. With Alzheimer's Disease prominent among senior citizens, medical insurance for seniors has seen a rise in cost because of the number of seniors living longer lives. With this program from Penn Treaty, it will hopefully bring down the costs of health insurance.

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Medicare Offers Lots Of Options For Senior Health Insurance Plans!!!

What is the advantage of Medicare Advantage plans?

For Medicare recipients, the answer depends greatly on their personal care preferences when it comes to getting and paying for medical care. Open enrollment starts November 15th for Medicare managed-care plans, commonly known as Medicare Advantage plans.

During that time, Medicare recipients also have the option of signing up for Medicare Part D prescription drug plans that cover only prescription medicines. Both options are available to anyone covered by Medicare, the federal health insurance program for people ages 65 and older and some younger disabled Americans.

Medicare Advantage plans helps pay for doctor visits, hospital stays and other medical care that is not fully covered by Medicare. Many plans offer prescription coverage, too. These plans usually provide benefits that traditional Medicare does not cover things such as vision and dental benefits and free or discounted fitness club membership.

Medicare Advantage plans typically have lower monthly premiums than Medicare supplemental insurance, also known as "Medigap." But medical services that are covered by Medigap plans usually are covered at 100 percent. With Medicare Advantage plans, enrollees often pay a co-pay or percentage of the bill.

With Medicare Advantage, the premiums are less, but you pay out-of-pocket as you use it. In exchange for perks, enrollees in Medicare Advantage plans often give up some of their freedom to go anywhere they want for medical care.

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