Medicare Sen$e

Yesterday on Your Caregiving Journey, Sheri Samotin joined us to make sense of Medicare. We timed our show to help you as Medicare Open Enrollment, which begins November 15, approaches. You can listen to our show via the player below. Sheri offered great tips during the show, concluding with these as you consider which Medicare plan will work best for your caree: 1. This year will not indicate next year’s...

The ABCs of EOBs

Yesterday, on Your Caregiving Journey, Sheri Samotin, LifeBrideSolutions and AttackMedicalBills.com, demystified those Explanation of Benefits from insurance companies. (You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of the post.) During ourdiscussion, Sheri walked us through an EOB, telling us to check the following information is correct: 1. The name of patient. 2. The date of service. 3. The...

Health Reform and Family Caregivers

Yesterday on Table Talk, Howard Bedlin, Vice President for Public Policy and Advocacy for the National Council on Aging (NCOA), joined us for a primer on how health reform will affect family caregivers and older adults. (You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of the post.) A few highlights of the legislation: Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Provision (CLASS) creates a new national...

Keeping Organized in the Game of Insurance

On Monday, Sheri Samotin of LifeBridge Solutions joined us for our weekly chat. Our show was a follow-up to our must-listen January show on managing insurance and Medicare claims that are denied. (You can listen to Monday’s show via the player at the bottom of this post.) Sheri shared tips on to stay organized with insurance bills and claims: 1. Use a three-ring binder; organize by provider and then by...

Claiming Insurance

Yesterday, on Your Caregiving Journey, Sheri Samotin of LifeBridge Solutions joined us to share her insights about insurance and Medicare claims, specifically, why denials happen and what you can. If you didn’t have a chance to listen to our live show, please take the time to listen via the player below (or download and listen later). Sheri’s insights and tips are really helpful. Resources Medical...

Senators to Begin Debating Health Care Reform; How It Affects You

Meg Cooch, MPP, director of programs and operations for National Alliance for Caregiving, provided the following update about legislation that would impact family caregivers. If you support this legislation, contact your Senators as soon as possible to ask for their support. We’ll provide updates as we receive. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE – S. 3590, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act The Senate voted...

Ask Denise: How Do I Hire Home Care Workers?

Dear Denise, I’ve hired a few women (recommended by friends) to help care for my mother-in-law, who lives with us. My mother-in-law’s care needs are intensifying, so I’m thinking of hiring home care workers through an agency. Any suggestions? One the women I’ve hired is loving and trustworthy, but spends a lot of time on her cell phone. I’m worried she’s not providing the care...

Legislation Introduced to Improve Senior Services, Save Cents

Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI),  and Representatives Bruce L. Braley (D-IA) and John Sarbanes (D-MD) introduced Project 2020: Building on the Promise of Home and Community-Based Services in their respective chambers late last night and this afternoon. The legislation, developed in a partnership between two leading national aging organizations—National Association of State Units on...

Medicare Information Now Available on NIHSeniorHealth

Image via Wikipedia An easy-to-read overview, “Medicare Basics for Caregivers,” is now available at NIHSeniorHealth.gov, the Web site for older adults from the National Institutes of Health. This brief, yet comprehensive introduction to Medicare gives caregivers the basics and helps them find answers to their questions. The topic was developed with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services...

Live Webcast, Medicare 101, On Monday

Alliance for Health Reform and The Kaiser Family Foundation will sponsor a live webcast called “Medicare 101″ on Monday, March 16, at 12:15 p.m. ET. A panel of experts will discuss Medicare including: Whom does Medicare serve and what services does it cover? What are Medicare Parts A, B, C and D? How is it structured and financed? What drives Medicare’s costs? How does Medicare reimburse providers and...

Last Chance to Change Medicare Health Plans Before Lock-In on April 1

People with Medicare have one last chance to change their Medicare health plan before they are locked into their plan for the rest of the calendar year. During the Open Enrollment Period, which began January 1 and lasts through March 31, people with Medicare are allowed to change their choice of Medicare health coverage once. For example, a person who is enrolled in a Medicare private health plan with drug coverage...