Medicare improvements education events for seniors to be held Oct. 18-19
Senior citizens are invited to MIPPA education events being hosted by the Ascension Council on Aging. MIPPA is the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. Events are at 11 a.m. Oct. 18 at the Donaldsonville Senior Center and 11 a.m. Oct. 19 at the Gonzales Senior Center. The guest speaker is Giselle Lee, of the Capital Area …
5 Ways for Healthcare Providers to Get Ready for New Medicare Cards
Medicare is taking steps to remove Social Security numbers from Medicare cards. Through this initiative the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will prevent fraud, fight identity theft and protect essential program funding and the private healthcare and financial information of our Medicare beneficiaries. CMS will issue new Medicare cards with a new unique, randomly-assigned number called a Medicare …
CMS Proposes Quality Payment Program updates to increase flexibility and reduce burdens
Proposed rule aims to simplify reporting requirements and offer support for doctors and clinicians in 2018 Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that would make changes in the second year of the Quality Payment Program as required by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). CMS’s goal is to simplify the …
Feds To Waive Penalties For Some Who Signed Up Late For Medicare
Each year, thousands of Americans miss their deadline to enroll in Medicare, and federal officials and consumer advocates worry that many of them mistakenly think they don’t need to sign up because they have purchased insurance on the health law’s marketplaces. That decision can leave them facing a lifetime of enrollment penalties. Now Medicare has temporarily changed its rules to …
New Medicare cards offer greater protection to more than 57.7 million Americans
New cards will no longer contain Social Security numbers, to combat fraud and illegal use The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is readying a fraud prevention initiative that removes Social Security numbers from Medicare cards to help combat identity theft, and safeguard taxpayer dollars. The new cards will use a unique, randomly-assigned number called a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier …
More Michigan Residents Can Qualify For Medigap Subsidy
LANSING, Mich. (AP) – More Medicare recipients in Michigan will qualify for subsidies to buy supplemental health insurance that covers their coinsurance and deductibles. The Michigan Health Endowment Fund announced Monday it’s raising the eligibility threshold, starting in July. Residents with annual incomes at or below 225 percent of the poverty level — or $26,730 for an individual and $36,045 …
HHS OIG Hotline Scam – need to share & warn our partners asap
A telephone scam in which crooks alter caller ID to make it seem as if the call is coming from the HHS OIG Hotline 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477) to get beneficiaries and members of the public to verify or share personal info which is used to victimize them via financial and other crimes – draining their bank accounts. OIG wants the public …
CMS Issues Proposed Rule to Increase Patients’ Health Insurance Choices for 2018
CMS News FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 15, 2017 Contact: CMS Media Relations (202) 690-6145 | CMS Media Inquiries The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today issued a proposed rule for 2018, which proposes new reforms that are critical to stabilizing the individual and small group health insurance markets to help protect patients. This proposed rule would make changes …
Nearly 12 million people with Medicare have saved over $26 billion on prescription drugs since 2010
Over 40 million Medicare beneficiaries utilized free preventive services in 2016 The Department of Health and Human Services released today new information that shows that millions of seniors and people with disabilities with Medicare continue to save on prescription drugs and see improved benefits in 2016 as a result of the Affordable Care Act. More than 11.8 million Medicare beneficiaries …
