The Obama Administration is enacting big changes in Medicare to reward healthcare providers for quality rather than quantity. Instead of paying a set rate per hospital procedure, the government will now take into account the effectiveness of those procedures – and the resulting health of patients. The change in policy will provide an incentive for hospitals to increase their quality of service. For example, under the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (part of the Affordable Care Act), Medicare can reduce payments to hospitals with excess readmissions. Such readmissions for high-cost or high-volume conditions (heart attack, pneumonia) usually result from inadequate hospital
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Archives for Medicare
Assisting Your Parent with Medicare Coverage
In this day and age of sky high pricing for medical related expenses, health insurance is a top priority; especially for those growing older. With a large fraction of our loved ones growing older it is time to start preparing for the future. But if your loved one isn’t covered by private insurance, or if they could benefit from additional coverage, where do you start? Here at Freedom Home Care we know that figuring out the best way to assist a loved one is to know about all of the options available. To help ensure your loved one makes the
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Medicare Blue Button Puts Medical Records in the Hands Of Seniors
Imagine that you go to the emergency room because of a fall. When the doctor comes and examines your knee, he notices the scar from a previous surgery. “What was the surgery for?” he asks. You know it had something to do with a ligament, but can’t remember the rest. When he asks about your medical history, you don’t remember the official diagnosis of your heart problem. You also don’t remember the name of the new prescription you are taking. It’s too late to call the other doctors’ offices, and the emergency room can’t do much without the information. Similar
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Doctors Come Together with 'Accountable Care Organization'
If you or someone close to you has multiple health problems, you know how frustrating it can be when doctors won’t talk with one another. Prescription mistakes happen, time is wasted going over the same information, and perhaps there is an extraneous emergency room trip due to miscommunication. It is a massive problem, and one that is costing Medicare millions each year. To solve this, Obama put into motion the Accountable Care Organization model. If all of the doctors work together to care for the patient and avoid emergencies, they are rewarded with keeping some of the money that was saved
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Seniors Benefit from the Affordable Care Act
Confused about the Affordable Care Act? Join the majority of Americans. President Obama signed the healthcare reform law three years ago, and still most of us are unsure that we understand what it is. In fact, a whopping 41% didn’t even know that it was still the law. For whatever reason, the implementation seemed messy and many feel negatively about it. And bits of the law seem a bit murky. So, does the Affordable Care Act actually help seniors? To answer the question simply, yes. The new law reduces the risk of Medicare fraud. Many seniors have fallen prey to
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Save Your Pennies and Stay Out of a Nursing Home
Nursing homes have become common locations for post-surgery or senior care. However, many are not aware of the substantial costs involved. Insurance such as Medicare only allow coverage up to 100 days. Medicaid does cover nursing home care, but only for very low-income seniors. And the senior must be employed to receive those Medicaid benefits. how to learn arabic After that, staying in a nursing home can be incredibly expensive. The cost can be as much as $15,000 a month for a private room. If the senior shares a room, the cost can still be nearly $12,000 a month, usually
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Four elements to how Obama plans to handle Medicare
Since the State of the Union Address last month, there has been a lot of anticipation held by members of both political parties. Republicans and Democrats have been awaiting details as to how the President plans to reform health care in America. According to a recent article published on the CNN Money website, here are a few ways in which he plans to make change: 1. Pay less for drugs: Increase the rebates the government receives for Medicare beneficiaries' medications so they are the same as the rebates given under the Medicaid program. This would save $140 billion. 2. Reduce payments
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Plan ahead for when a loved one cannot live independently
At some point in a loved one’s life, independent living may no longer be an option. When the time comes, it’s best if a plan has already been put in place to ensure that comfort levels and health are maintained. According to the Society of Actuaries, it is best to establish a care plan long before the situation arises. “Insurance coverage for long-term care covers disabilities so severe that assistance is needed with daily activities such as bathing, dressing and eating,” explain the editors of a Society of Actuaries report. “Some older policies require a nursing home only or require
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How the health care industry will be affected by the sequester
Whether it be through reductions to defense or governmental staffing, tomorrow marks the day that the sequester cuts go into effect. It is yet again an issue that has Americans – and especially retirees – quite anxious. Sources say that Medicare won’t be directly affected, however, the trickle-down affect may cause rumbles to the system. According to an article published by U.S. News, there are three key areas that are cause for health care concern: 1. Hospitals: Decreases in Medicare reimbursement for hospitals and skilled nursing facilities are set to total nearly $4.5 billion, or about $1.3 million for the
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Getting a clearer picture on the future of Medicare
Last night’s State of the Union address was full of proposals and promises for everything from job creation to gun control. The problem with an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink speech, however, is making heads or tails of it. As viewers know, President Obama devoted a fair amount of his more-than-an-hour-long address to Medicare. But many are still trying to figure out what it will all boil down to. To get a clear picture of what the future of Medicare could look like, Sarah Cliff of the Washington Post took Obama’s words and broke them down into easy-to-digest pieces. She said that there were
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