Medicare makes changes in 2012
Medicare, the federal insurance program for people 65 and older and people under 65 with certain disabilities, has undergone some changes for 2012.
â- The open enrollment period for the program started, and ended, earlier this year.
â- Medicare now offers more preventive services, like screening and counseling for alcohol misuse, depression and obesity.
â- Changes to the prescription drug coverage plan allow you to qualify for savings on brand-name and generic drugs if you reach the coverage gap in the prescription drug plan.
â- A new special enrollment period allows you to a Medicare Advantage Plan (like an HMO or PPO) or Medicare Prescription Drug Plan that has a five-star rating at any time during the year.
“By understanding their benefits and following a few tips, Medicare beneficiaries can enjoy improved health — and more money in their pockets — in 2012,” said Donna Reynolds, executive director with UnitedHealthcare in Greensboro.
Here are five tips Reynolds suggests when navigating your Medicare plan in 2012.
Identify additional plan benefits. Many Medicare plans provide additional benefits that can help beneficiaries maintain or enhance their health, such as disease management programs and gym memberships. Taking advantage of these benefits can help you manage your existing health conditions and avoid developing others, both of which can lead to savings on out-of-pocket expenses.
Review cost-savings opportunities with prescription drugs. Medicare enrollees could save hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year on their prescriptions by making some simple changes in how they access their drugs. Consider switching to mail-order pharmacy services as a convenient and cost-effective way to receive regular prescriptions. Additionally, review your plan’s formulary and ask your doctor and plan representatives if switching to a generic or less expensive alternative drug would be appropriate.
Ratings For Health Insurance Plans Ppo - News
Independence Blue Cross's HMO and PPO health care plans have consistently received the highest ratings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Independence Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
a Medicare Advantage Plan (like an HMO or PPO) or Medicare Prescription Drug Plan that has a five-star rating at any time during the year. “By understanding their benefits and following a few tips, Medicare beneficiaries can enjoy improved health
It offers a spectrum of managed care plans, which include preferred provider organizations (PPOs), health maintenance organizations (HMOs), point-of-service plans (POS) plans, traditional indemnity plans and other hybrid plans,
The Company's clients are national, regional and local health plans, which include preferred provider organizations (PPOs), third party administrators (TPAs), insurance companies, self-funded organizations and Taft-Hartley union plans (ie,
This includes growth in Virginia from our MajestaCare startup, a plan that we developed in partnership with the Carilion clinic. The program launched on January 1 and is expected to expand midyear. In Texas, we've added a new partner, Christus Health
How do I find the best rated health insurance companies?
There are many companies dedicated to researching and compiling statistics on the best health insurance companies . They use this data to provide consumers with lists of which companies scored the highest. These websites devise their own rating system so each website will have a unique list.
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While these lists can be a useful tool when shopping for insurance, they should not be the only thing you look at. Companies must be licensed by your state to sell health insurance there. If a company is not licensed then you will have no protection if a problem arises later.
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What are the best rated health insurance companies?One of the most trusted names in health care reform is the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) . They are a nonprofit organization created to improve the quality of health care by working with doctors, facilities, insurance companies, and consumers.
In July they published their current list of rankings for 380 health insurance companies. The top ten health insurance companies according to NCQA are as follows:
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Tufts Associated Health Maintenance Organization Capital Health Plan Tufts Health Plan Harvard Pilgrim Health Care of New England Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin singer Health Plan Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Health New EnglandAnother resource for finding health insurance companies rankings is J.D. Power and Associates . They have broken their list down into regions. J.D. Power uses consumer feedback on satisfaction to devise their ratings.