Medical Claim Service of Southwest Florida Celebrates 26 Years

Twenty six years ago on this day, Carol Hess founded Medical Claim Service to assist those who were confused and frustrated with their medical paperwork. Through this period, Medical Claim Service has helped hundreds of clients sort through the maze of insurance and medical papers assisting clients with understanding insurance terms, informing them of what bills to pay and explain insurance benefits. Medical Claim Service has also branched out to assist many clients with their monthly bill pay by sorting through all the mail, writing checks, balancing accounts and providing account reports as needed.

Over the past 26 year, our goal has always been to provide peace of mind to our clients and their families by giving them personal and professional service. Should you or a family member require assistance with medical paperwork and/or bill pay services, please call our office to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff.

Medicare Part A Changes for 2012

Medicare has announced the changes to deductible and coinsurances for Medicare Part a. Medicare Part A covers facility type charges such as inpatient hospital stays and skilled care in a skilled nursing facility.

 

The inpatient hospital deductible will increase to $1,156 in 2012, an increase of $24 from 2011. It important to understand that the Part A deductible is NOT an annual deductible. Medicare uses a period of 60 days to determine patient responsibility; therefore a patient could be responsible for this deductible more than once in a year.

 

The skilled nursing facility coinsurance also increases in 2012 to $144.50 per day for days 21 ? 100; the 2011 amount was $141.50 per day. For days 0 ? 20, Medicare pays for services at 100%.

 

For more information on this topic or if you have any questions, please call our office to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff.
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Medicare Part B Deductible

Good news for those enrolled in Medicare. For the first time in a number of years, the Medicare Part B deductible has decreased. This year, the annual deductible is $162; in 2012, the deductible will decrease to $140. This means that once a Medicare beneficary has paid out $140 for medical care, Medicare will begin to pay for services at 80% of their approved amount; some services are paid at 100% by Medicare and not subject to the Part B deductible. Medicare Part B approves items such as doctors' services, outpatient services, ambulance services, etc.

For more information on this topic or any other insurance issue, please contact our office to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff.

 

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Medicare and Wellness Care

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011111010049

Beginning this year, Medicare began covering preventive services that in the past were out of pocket to the beneficiary. The article above, from our local news paper, explains that a majority of the beneficiaries are not aware of these new benefits. The article also further explains that one must be aware that not all preventive services, for example complete physicials, are covered by Medicare. For a complete list of the wellness services covered by Medicare, we recommend visiting Medicare's wesite at www.medicare.gov . If you or a family member have traditonal Medicare as your primary health insurance, please make sure you or that family member take advantage of these important benefits.

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Medicare Annual Open Enrollment

http://www.medicareadvocacy.org/2011/09/annual-enrollment-starts-october-15-and-ends-december-7-for-medicare-part-c-part-d-plans/

Just a reminder that Medicare's annual enrollment period has changed this year. The dates that one can change Medicare Part D plans, Medicare Advantage Plans or switch back to traditional Medicare is October 15th through December 7th; in the past the dates were November 15th through December 31st. If you know of any senior who may need to switch plans, please remind them of this dates change. The Link above provides very good detailed information about specific situations.

As always, should anyone have any questions about the date changes or how this can effect someone they know, please contact our office.

 

 

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Preventative Services and Medicare

http://www.healthcare.gov/law/provisions/medicare/preventiveservices.html

We receive many questions asking about Medicare's coverage for preventative services. Due to Healthcare Reform and the Affordable Care Act, starting January 1of this year, Medicare will pay for many preventative services at 100% percent as long as the provider accepts assignment with Medicare. The link above from Healthcare.gov provides detailed information about the services that qualify. If you have any additional questions, please give our office a call.

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Exploitation Laws Protecting Seniors

https://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=178183018921205&view=wall&notif_t=event_wall

This event will be very informative for everyone.