Scam Warning: Senior Alertline Out to Defraud Seniors
We recently got word of another scam that is proliferating; a company under the name of Senior Alertline has framed itself to look like Philips Lifeline, a medical alert service for elders, and is...
View ArticleBeneficiaries in Low-Rated Plans Given Opportunity to Change Coverage
The 2013 quality ratings for Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug plans were posted on Medicare.gov in early October. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rates plans on a...
View ArticleAnthem Blue’s Local PPO Plan Terminates in 6 California Counties
Several beneficiaries from 6 California counties have been calling their local Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) about their plan’s termination notice. These beneficiaries are...
View ArticleEnd Medicare Fraud ~ You Can Make a Difference
Yes, Medicare fraud is a big problem, and the amount of fraud can sometimes be both staggering and overwhelming. Yet, this 30-second public service announcement (PSA), is a good reminder to relinquish...
View ArticleHalf of Middle Aged Voters Likely to Need Long-term Care within Next 5 Years...
Close to half of California voters 40 years and older claim that they will need long-term care for a close family member within the next 5 year. Yet just as many say they don’t have the funds to cover...
View ArticleMedicare Extends Open Enrollment for Hurricane-Affected Beneficiaries
As Hurricane Sandy has impacted millions of people, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has extended the Annual Election Period (also known as Open Enrollment) past Dec 7 for affected...
View ArticleObama Takes Next Steps to Implement Health Care Reform ~ Discrimination Based...
The Obama Administration took its next steps to implement health care reform law last week. It proposed rules for 3 main provisions in the Affordable Care Act, including barring insurance companies...
View ArticleMedicare Open Enrollment Ends Today 12/7 ~ Have You Chosen Your Coverage for...
Medicare’s Fall Open Enrollment ends today 12/7 at midnight. Also known as the Annual Election Period (AEP) which runs from October 15 – December 7, this is the main time Medicare beneficiaries can...
View ArticlePhone Scams on the Rise
“Our Senior Medicare Patrol hotline has been ringing off the hook,” said Micki Nozaki, our Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Data Specialist. In the last 2 months, our SMP office has received 14 calls...
View ArticleAdvocates Oppose Proposed Medigap Reforms that Shift Costs to Beneficiaries
Bonnie Burns, our Training and Policy Specialist as well as many advocates across the country have been strongly advocating throughout the year against proposals to reform Medigap policies by shifting...
View ArticleCalifornia Senior Medicare Patrol Recovers Over $1.6 Million for Medicare
With over 400 volunteers statewide, California’s Senior Medicare Patrol project is a strong and growing force throughout the state, actively reducing fraud and helping Medicare recover from the effects...
View ArticleLearn Medicare’s Story: A Short Video Timeline of Medicare’s History, Success...
Learn the history of Medicare, it’s proceeding debate, the story of its enactment and its numerous modifications since 1965. This 7-minute video produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation provides an...
View ArticleDuals Demonstration Program Delayed to September 2013
The implementation of the Coordinated Care Initiative (CCI) has been delayed to September 2013, according to Governor Jerry Brown’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2013-14 released last Friday. This is...
View ArticleAffordable Care Act Proposed Regulations Give State Medicaid Programs More...
On January 14, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released a proposed rule related to the Medicaid expansion brought on by the Affordable Care Act. The proposed rule gives...
View ArticleDept of Insurance Provides Updated List of Companies Selling Medigap Policies...
California’s Department of Insurance recently updated their charts of companies selling Medigap policies in California. This is a good resource for any beneficiary choosing to supplement his/her...
View ArticleGender-Based Premium Pricing: A New Trend in Long-Term Care?
The nation’s biggest provider of long-term care insurance, Genworth Financial Inc, of Richmond Virginia is launching a new trend in long-term care (LTC) insurance policies this spring, – that of...
View ArticleA Glimpse into the World’s Biggest Insurance Markets
At $1.7 trillion, the United States by far has the world’s biggest insurance market by premiums. Japan, though still hefty, lags far behind at $655.4 billion. In breaking out the U.S. states...
View ArticleMedicare’s Therapy Cap Exceptions Process Extended for 2013
Through passing the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA), Congress yet again avoided cuts to the Medicare physician fee schedule and extended the therapy caps extension process through December...
View ArticleElaine Speaks to California-Specific Medicare Issues, Common Medicare...
Last month an editor at Caring.com contacted Elaine Wong Eakin, our Executive Director with a host of questions about CHA, what we do, California-specific Medicare issues, common mistakes or...
View ArticleHighest Recovery Results Yet in Medicare Fraud Prevention Efforts for 2012
Multiple level, inter-agency and grassroots efforts to combat fraud are paying off, as confirmed in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) recent announcement of record breaking...
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