Thursday, March 21, 2024

Get Your Government Off My Medicare

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You Lied Or Provided Misleading Information On Your Plan Application

Obama Pokes Fun At ‘Don’t Touch My Medicare’ People

If you wish to enroll in a Medicare Supplement Insurance plan outside of your Medigap Open Enrollment Period, you may be subject to medical underwriting in order to determine your rates.

If you were dishonest on your application in an attempt to secure a lower rate , your plan could be taken away from you if your plan provider discovered that you lied on your application.

You No Longer Have A Qualifying Disability

If you are under 65 years old and qualified for Medicare because of a disability, you might lose your coverage if you recover from your disability that qualified you for Medicare. If this happens, you will need to consider other forms of health insurance coverage.

If you receive disability benefits from the Social Security Administration and are under age 65, your Medicare benefits might continue even if you return to work, as long as you have not recovered from your initial qualifying disability.

Contact your local SSA office to find out more information regarding your personal situation by calling 1-800-772-1213, TTY users can call 1-800-325-0778, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

How Do I Report A Change Of Name Or Address To Medicare

You can view or update your contact information of record via the My Profile Tab on my Social Security, even if you do not receive Social Security benefits. In addition, you can decide when your change of address will take effect. Changing your address on line is the fastest way to get assistance.

You may also report a change of name or address for the Medicare program by calling the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 or by visiting your local field office. Addresses and directions to the Social Security field offices may be obtained from the Social Security Office Locator. See the Contacts page for additional information on contacting the Social Security Administration.

You can also get more information on changing your name on the Social Security’s web site.

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Keep Your Government Hands Off My Medicare

Is Medicare Socialized Health Care

Below is one of my favorite signs from the entire health care debate over the past year.

If the federal government does not have its grubby big old hands all over the current Medicare system, then who does? The Tooth Fairy? Santa Claus? The guy from the Monopoly game with all his funny money?

We recently highlighted the apparent philosophical inconsistency when people who love more government, for the best altruistic reasons, decide not to send their tax refund back to Washington to help pay for expansion of government services they strongly support, i.e. health care reform under President Obama and Speaker Pelosi.

On the exact flip-side of the parallel universe are the people who, well-intentioned they may be, are seen holding signs such as this one above, screaming in protest against any more socialism in America! all the while receiving enormous sums of federal taxpayer-supported programs such as Medicare.

Receiving copious amounts of taxpayer assistance in any form, ladies and gentlemen, is the very definition of socialism. We have had socialism creeping into our previously independent American cowboy psyche for at least the past 80 years or so in some form of government program or another.

Something has got to give, people. We cant have everything for nothing and not pay for everything you may want government to provide for everyone else. What is it going to be?

Approval Ratings never got us out of any trouble before. Leaders have.

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Already Enrolled In Medicare

If you have Medicare, you can get information and services online. Find out how to .

If you are enrolled in Medicare Part A and you want to enroll in Part B, please complete form CMS-40B, Application for Enrollment in Medicare Part B . If you are applying for Medicare Part B due to a loss of employment or group health coverage, you will also need to complete form CMS-L564, Request for Employment Information.

You can use one of the following options to submit your enrollment request under the Special Enrollment Period:

  • Fax or mail your CMS-40B, CMS-L564, and secondary evidence to your local Social Security office .
  • Note: When completing the forms CMS-40B and CMS-L564

    • State I want Part B coverage to begin in the remarks section of the CMS-40B form or online application.
    • If possible, your employer should complete Section B.
    • If your employer is unable to complete Section B, please complete that portion as best as you can on behalf of your employer without your employers signature and submit one of the following forms of secondary evidence:
      • Income tax form that shows health insurance premiums paid.
      • W-2s reflecting pre-tax medical contributions.
      • Pay stubs that reflect health insurance premium deductions.
      • Health insurance cards with a policy effective date.
      • Explanations of benefits paid by the GHP or LGHP.
      • Statements or receipts that reflect payment of health insurance premiums.

    Some people with limited resources and income may also be able to get .

    Hands Off My Medicare

    The primary Democratic response to criticism of ObamaCare has been to attack the motives, intelligence, and good faith of the people making the criticism. One of the most common tactics is to highlight those instances when a voter seemingly betrays his or her ignorance of the fact that Medicare is a government program. Here’s Obama on July 28:

    Here’s GOP Rep. Robert Inglis of South Carolina in the Washington Post that same day:

    The reaction to Democratic proposals has been strong, too. At a recent town-hall meeting in suburban Simpsonville, a man stood up and told Rep. Robert Inglis to ‘keep your government hands off my Medicare.’

    And so it goes. Paul Krugman: “Medicare is highly popular, as evidenced by the tendency of town-hall protesters to demand that the government keep its hands off the program.”

    As Bill Kristol noted when Obama first brought up his correspondent’s letter, “This may once have really happened, but it’s been recycled endlessly in recent years as a liberal talking point about the ignorance of the American people and their silliness in resisting new big government health care schemes.” We first started hearing these stories during the fight over Clinton’s health care bill in 1993.

    It’s certainly true that plenty of Americans know things that are not so – 53 percent of the electorate voted for Obama, after all – and that many of them may believe incorrectly that Medicare is not a government program.

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    Is Medicare Different In Each State

    Before we begin our discussion of Medicare coverage by state, letâs consider basic eligibility for Medicare. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reports that the following factors make you eligible for Medicare:

    • Age. If you are 65 or older, you qualify.
    • Disability. If you get disability income from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board , you’ll gain eligibility for Medicare once you’ve recieved your Social Security or RRB disbursements for 24 months. There are also special qualifying criteria for those with Lou Gehrig’s disease and end-stage renal disease which can eliminate waiting periods.

    Assuming now that you are eligible, letâs address the questionâis Medicare different in each state? Since Original Medicare is a completely federal program, itâs equally available to residents in all U.S. states.

    However, certain programs within Medicare vary from state to state in terms of rules, availability, and pricing. Two such Medicare plans are Medigap and Medicare Advantage. The coverage and features of these Medicare plans will vary depending on where you live.

    Medigap

    Medigap, sometimes called Medicare Supplement, is available to Original Medicare beneficiaries. It works like an insurance policy to cover the âgapâ between what Original Medicare pays and what you owe in out-of-pocket expenses .

    Medicare Advantage

    Cost Savings Through Medicare Advantage

    2021 How to use Medicare Plan Finder, step-by-step

    The ACA gradually reduced costs by restructuring payments to Medicare Advantage, based on the fact that the government was spending more money per enrollee for Medicare Advantage than for Original Medicare. But implementing the cuts has been a bit of an uphill battle.

    In 2011, the law froze the benchmark amount at 2010 levels for the maximum amount paid for MA plans in each county. Then, in 2012, the government began phasing in payment reductions to Medicare Advantage in an effort to bring Medicare Advantage spending in line with the fee-for-service program , although benchmark amounts could also increase based on plan quality.

    For 2021, Medicare Advantage plans saw an increase in their reimbursement rates, as was the case in 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017. And these increases came on the heels of similar increases in 2014, 2015, and 2016 despite the fact that in all three years, payment cuts had been proposed and then essentially reversed or off-set with payment increases.

    However, insurers said that their average payment amounts decreased by about 6% in 2014, and by about 3 or 4% in 2015 clearly, not everyone agrees on the impact of the budgetary changes from one year to the next. And for 2020, the amount that Medicare Advantage plans received was based more on patient encounter data, which is a rule change that insurers did not want.

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    Understanding Supplemental Security Income Ssi And Other Government Programs

    SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME AND ELIGIBILITY FOR OTHER GOVERNMENT AND STATE PROGRAMS

    Many people who are potentially eligible for SSI benefits do not know how receiving SSI affects their benefits or payments from other government and State programs.

    MEDICAID

    In most States, if you are an SSI recipient, you may be automatically eligible for Medicaid an SSI application is also an application for Medicaid. In other States, you must apply for and establish your eligibility for Medicaid with another agency. In these States, we will direct you to the office where you can apply for Medicaid.

    Please see the Medicaid website at www.medicaid.gov/ for consumer information.

    SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

    The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides help for low-income households to buy the food needed for good health. If you receive SSI, you may be eligible to receive SNAP assistance to purchase food.

    If you are applying for or receiving SSI, you are able to get SNAP information and an application form at your local Social Security office.

    If all other members of your household apply for or receive SSI, and you apply for or receive SSI, we will help you complete a SNAP application. If you and all other members of your household already receive SSI and SNAP, you may be able to complete the SNAP forms for a recertification at your local Social Security office. SSI benefits count in computing SNAP eligibility.

    Keep Your Goddamn Government Hands Off My Medicare

    Host of the Bob & Chez Show, Writer for Salon.com

    At the risk of bringing down the digital wrath of blog-savvy oldsters, I’ve noticed that a considerable number of the anti-reform Republican “hooligans,” as Rachel Maddow describes them, who turn up at various town hall meetings to shout incomprehensible loud noises just happen to be senior citizens. And while the old people who turn up to protest health care reform are, to some extent, victims of the usual Republican lies and disinformation, they’re still adults and therefore responsible for their opinions, their actions and their ziplock baggies filled with crazy.

    Yes, they’ve been tricked by Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh into believing that health care reform will somehow involve golden-grilled ACORN thugs showing up at bingo with a tray of syringes filled with black liberal death juice. Yes, they’ve been tricked by Sean Hannity and Lou Dobbs into thinking that this “halfrican American” president with his terrorist pals and Kenyan birth certificate is trying to supplant God’s U.S. government with a liberal fascist homocracy.

    But failing to grasp the extraordinary contradiction evident in receiving Medicare benefits while simultaneously shouting nonsense about “government-run health care” is quite simply inexcusable.

    President Obama at a town hall meeting last week described a letter he received from a Medicare recipient:

    At a town hall meeting held by Rep. Robert Inglis :

    Take this guy for instance:

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    Higher Premiums For Higher

    In 2021, most Medicare Part B enrollees pay $148.50/month in premiums. But beneficiaries with higher incomes pay additional amounts up to $504.90 for those with the highest incomes . Medicare D premiums are also higher for enrollees with higher incomes.

    The income brackets changed in 2018 so that the highest income bracket started at a lower income level than it did in 2017 and earlier years. Beginning in 2020, the income levels were adjusted upward based on inflation . The high-income brackets now start at $88,001 for a single individual, and $176,001 for a married couple .

    Some enrollees with income above those limits might have found themselves bumped into a higher bracket starting in 2018, which could have resulted in a significant increase in their premiums. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 created a new bracket, separating what was previously the highest income bracket into two brackets. The highest bracket which corresponds to the biggest Part B and Part D premiums now applies to those with income above $500,000 as of 2020.

    But its important to note that the high-income premiums only apply to a small percentage of enrollees. In 2013, only 4% of Part D enrollees, and 5% of Part B enrollees, paid additional premiums based on their income most seniors tend to have low or moderate incomes, rather than high incomes. Thirty percent of Part D enrollees have income low enough to receive additional subsidies to help cover the cost of their premiums.

    Oct Leo Gerard: Get Your Gop Hands Off My Medicare

    THE ALTAR OF GOD: âKeep Your Government Hands off my Medicareâ? and ...

    In the early days, the iconic image of D.C.-hating Tea Partiers was a sign reading: Keep your government hands off my Medicare. Occasionally their protest placards added a little profanity to that directive. Right now, though, Tea Partiers should be cursing their Republican bedfellows.

    While privately laughing at a group that would demand the government keep its hands off of a government program, Republicans propped up Tea Partiers, with corporate-backed groups like Americans for Prosperity giving them untold millions in funding.

    Tea Partiers, in return, took up the Republican attack on the Affordable Care Act, seeking to deny health care for 50 million uninsured Americans while insisting no one touch their health insurance Medicare. Last week, though, the GOP threw Tea Partiers under the bus. And the guy who shoved first was Tea Party darling Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who proposed in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that House Republicans forget about defunding the Affordable Care Act and cut Medicare instead.

    Soon after President Obama was first elected, a ragtag bunch of protesters, egged on by rabid right-wing talk show hosts, took to public squares with Gadsden flags and signs protesting the Wall Street bailout, government in general and any attempt to cut Medicare or Social Security. Conservative, libertarian and business groups seized this opportunity,providing the supposedly grassroots groups with massive financial backing.

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    What Were Doing About Medicare

    We advise the Australian Government on Medicare policy and manage things like:

    • which health services to include on the MBS
    • the benefit amount for each MBS service
    • the threshold for the MBS Safety Net.

    Our Medical Treatment Overseas Program provides financial help for people who need life-saving medical treatment thats only available overseas.

    We also help health professionals comply with Medicare requirements by providing information, guidelines and training.

    Does My Zip Code Affect My Medicare Coverage

    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reports that, with Original Medicare , you can use any doctor or hospital that takes Medicare, anywhere in the U.S. Medicare plans like Medigap and Medicare Advantage are a different story, though. The pricing, rules, and availability of these plans vary by state, and even sometimes by zip code. Here, we cover what you need to know about Medicare coverage based on where you live, using the official U.S. government website for Medicare as a guide.

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    You Engage In Medicare Fraud Or Disruptive Behavior

    If you let someone else use your Medicare card in order to obtain services, or if you attempt to defraud Medicare in any other way, your coverage would likely be taken away from you.

    Some Medicare Advantage plans could also potentially take away your coverage if you engage in disruptive behavior. The definition of disruptive behavior could vary depending on your plan provider, but it generally means engaging in any type of behavior that impairs the insurers ability to arrange for or provide care for you or other plan members.

    The Parts Of Medicare

    Learn What Happens to Your HSA with Medicare

    Social Security enrolls you in Original Medicare .

    • Medicare Part A helps pay for inpatient care in a hospital or limited time at a skilled nursing facility . Part A also pays for some home health care and hospice care.
    • Medicare Part B helps pay for services from doctors and other health care providers, outpatient care, home health care, durable medical equipment, and some preventive services.

    Other parts of Medicare are run by private insurance companies that follow rules set by Medicare.

    • Supplemental policies help pay Medicare out-of-pocket copayments, coinsurance, and deductible expenses.
    • Medicare Advantage Plan includes all benefits and services covered under Part A and Part B prescription drugs and additional benefits such as vision, hearing, and dental bundled together in one plan.
    • Medicare Part D helps cover the cost of prescription drugs.

    Most people age 65 or older are eligible for free Medical hospital insurance if they have worked and paid Medicare taxes long enough. You can enroll in Medicare medical insurance by paying a monthly premium. Some beneficiaries with higher incomes will pay a higher monthly Part B premium. To learn more, read .

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