According to a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine, there are a lot of tests being done that may not be necessary. If you are healthy, they may not be necessary. Take a look at the article linked below to read more. David.
http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/study-needless-tests-given-to-medicare-cataract-patients/
Interesting article on delays for Medicare beneficiaries who have Melanoma. See link below:
There is a rare, ongoing bipartisan effort in Congress to permanently fix the payment problem for doctors treating their Medicare patients. In short, it will change the payment formula to stop the reductions by two primary methods. One is to enact an income based adjustment for high income earners and Two, consider a deductible for Medicare Supplement policies. Stay tuned for more info. The link below describes current status in more detail.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/medicare-doctors-john-boehner-nancy-pelosi-116097.html
President Obama’s recent budget proposes to save $399 Billion out of Medicare and Medicaid over the next 10 years. The bulk of the cost savings will affect Medicare beneficiaries in several ways. It will cut the amount paid to providers, introduce new copays, impose a surcharge on certain Supplement Plans and reduce the amount paid to insurers of Advantage plans which would increase the cost to consumers. A link follows to an article with more information.
Medicare beneficiaries who have a hospital stay need to be aware of whether the stay is considered Inpatient or Observation. The difference determines whether or not a follow up stay at a Skilled Nursing Facility will be covered by Medicare. The following link is an article that describes how legislatures are trying to address this growing problem. http://www.richmond.com/life/health/article_9644c6f8-ae4a-5f3a-a1d0-267fc2015327.html
Medicare beneficiaries don’t need to worry about the Feb 15 deadline to enroll in an Obamacare Plan (ACA). That is for people under 65. Medicare and Medicare Supplements or Medicare Advantage Plans are considered a Qualified Health Plan and protect Medicare beneficiaries from being subject to the penalty.