Medicare Rights Center in the News
Our experts, services and resources are often featured in the news. Here are some recent examples that have appeared in prominent media outlets:
Groups Press Congress To End Patients' Wait For Medicare
Kaiser Health News, August 27, 2010, by Jessica Marcy
After Russ Hillard developed Huntington's disease, a devastating neurological disorder, he lost his $35,000-a-year job as a welder and, with it, his health insurance. Read entire story.
Ask Nancy: How does that 50% doughnut hole prescription discount work?
Consumer Reports, August 13, 2010, by Nancy Metcalf
Question: When I filled out the Medicare prescription compare plan, I miscalculated my husband's insulin prescription. Consequently, we reached the doughnut hole within five weeks. In 2011, we are told that we will be paying 50 percent less on name-brand drugs while in the doughnut hole. Will the full price of the drugs be deducted from $4,550 that the feds require us to pay? Or, will it just be our 50 percent share, meaning we'll still end up paying $4,550 in the long run? Read the answer.
Health Care Law and Medicare Part D
C-SPAN, August 5, 2010
Ask an Expert: Taking Questions on Medicare
The New York Times, July 19, 2010
Joe Baker, president of the Medicare Rights Center, is taking reader questions on Medicare.
Read Joe Baker's answers, part 5
Read Joe Baker's answers, part 4
Read Joe Baker's answers, part 3
Read Joe Baker's answers, part 2
Read Joe Baker's answers, part 1
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Bipartisan Bill Would Expand Medicare Coverage for Off-Label Drugs
The Hill, July 15, 2010, by Mike Lillis
Reps. Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio) and Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) on Thursday proposed legislation expanding Medicare prescription drug coverage to include more off-label uses. Read entire story.
Resources for Figuring Out Medicare
The New York Times, July 8, 2010, by Jennifer Saranow Schultz
My father, who is about to turn 65, is trying to make sense of the Medicare materials he has received in the mail so he can make the right decisions about coverage. He’s pretty financially literate and a former accounting professor, but he told me the Medicare materials are pretty much incomprehensible. He wondered if there are any resources he could consult online or call to get help sorting through the various Medicare options and decisions. Read entire story.
Medicare Options
Battle Creek Enquirer, July 2, 2010
For more than three decades, Medicare beneficiaries have been able to choose between participating in the federally administered fee-for-service Medicare program or receiving their Medicare benefits through private health plans. Read entire story.
New Medigap Options
The Wall Street Journal, June 27, 2010, by Anne Tergesen
Consumers shopping for Medicare supplement insurance, or Medigap coverage, have some new options. On June 1, insurers started selling two new lower-cost Medigap policies and stopped offering four others. At the same time, the federal government, which regulates Medigap benefits, started requiring plans to cover at least a portion of hospice costs. Read entire story.