How to find Medicare Providers using the Medicare Lookup Tool
To find Medicare providers using the Medicare Lookup Tool, start by visiting Medicare.gov and clicking on “Find care” in the main navigation menu. This will take you to the provider search tool where you can search for doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, home health services, hospice care, rehabilitation facilities, long-term care hospitals, and dialysis facilities. Begin […]
Online Bill Payment for Medicare Premiums
If your bank offers online bill payment, you can use it to pay your Medicare premiums bill from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Getting started with online bill payment requires you to sign up for your bank’s process, or your representative can do so on your behalf. Social Security and CMS are […]
Does Medicare cover heart disease care?
Yes, Medicare covers comprehensive heart disease care including screenings, treatments, procedures, and rehabilitation services. Coverage spans conditions like coronary artery disease, heart failure, valve disorders, and arrhythmias. Medicare Part B covers preventive screenings including cardiovascular disease screenings every five years and a one-time abdominal aortic aneurysm screening for at-risk beneficiaries. Your Annual Wellness Visit with […]
How to appeal and avoid Medicare premium surcharges
Around seven percent of people with Part B pay a special Medicare monthly surcharge that can dramatically increase their premiums. The surcharge is known as an Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount or IRMAA. IRMAA is Medicare’s extra fee for high-income beneficiaries, enacted by Congress in 2003 and expanded in 2011. The IRMAA surcharge is based on […]
Medicare and the Mental Health Access Improvement Act
According to studies, seniors face a variety of mental health challenges. It is estimated that more than one in five adults over the age of 60 suffer from at least one mental or neurological disorder, including anxiety, cognitive impairment, depression, and other mood disorders. Marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors are now eligible […]
“Brain training” is the fastest growing Medicare Advantage fitness benefit
Brain training has emerged as the fastest growing Medicare Advantage fitness benefit since the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services began tracking distinct fitness benefit categories in 2019. When CMS required insurance plans to differentiate between physical fitness, wearable fitness trackers, and memory fitness programs, it revealed a significant trend in beneficiary preferences. Federal data […]
Does Medicare Have a Flex Card for Seniors?
A flex card is a debit card beneficiaries can use to purchase medical items and equipment. The cards are typically associated with flexible spending accounts and are available to health plans throughout the country. Insurance companies issue these cards on specific plans only. Moreover, each card has a different spending limit. The flex card benefit […]
Getting Reimbursed by Medicare
Medicare beneficiaries are generally not required to submit claims to get reimbursed. You may, however, need to pay for medical services at the time of service and file for reimbursement later. Typically, Medicare reimbursements are filed by Medicare providers and suppliers who send Medicare claims. If you do need to file for reimbursement from Medicare: […]
Workers’ Compensation Insurance and Medicare
Workers’ Compensation pays for health care items or services related to job-related illness or injury. Medicare generally does not pay for injuries or illnesses/diseases covered by workers’ compensation. A claim may be filed with Medicare if workers’ compensation denies all or part of it because it is not covered. The Medicare program may pay a […]
What Is Medicare Tax?
Medicare tax is a federal employment tax that funds Medicare Part A, which provides hospital insurance coverage for people 65 and older and those with certain disabilities. This tax helps pay for hospitalizations, hospice care, skilled nursing facility care, and some home healthcare services. The current Medicare tax rate is 2.9% of wages, split equally […]