Diabetes in Medicare Open Enrollment

Type 2 diabetes is one of the biggest health problems facing the aging population, and many baby boomers with diabetes are wondering which Medicare plan is best for their health condition. As we have less than a month left to Medicare open enrollment, you might be wondering if there are better options than what you…

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Medicare Open Enrollment 2018: What You Need to Know

It’s just 10 days away. Medicare open enrollment season will begin on October 15, and here’s what you may be wondering about it: What is Medicare open enrollment? This is the time of year when Medicare beneficiaries can evaluate their healthcare coverage and make changes if necessary. During open enrollment, you can switch from Original…

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When Does Medicare Cover Rehabilitation?

When you or your elderly loved one needs short-term rehabilitation after an illness or injury, you may assume Medicare will cover the stay. Rehabilitation falls squarely in the “medically reasonable and necessary” category, so you’d be justified in that assumption. Unfortunately, that’s not quite how it works. You need to have a “qualifying hospital stay”…

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Did You Receive Your New Medicare Card?

Medicare has announced they’ve started mailing new Medicare cards to New Jersey this month. As we’ve written before, the new Medicare card is designed to prevent fraud. Until now, your Social Security number with a suffix served as your Medicare ID number. This left your Social Security number open to fraudsters and identity thiefs. Now,…

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Finally! A Guide to Ambulance Transportation Benefits under Medicare

Does Medicare cover ambulance transportation? How about transport in a wheelchair van? Will Medicare cover my trip to East Orange General Hospital for an imaging test? There’s a lot of confusion surrounding Medicare’s transportation benefits. We’ve put together this guide to help you understand your benefits and coverage of ambulance transports under Medicare Part B.…

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New Medicare Cards are Coming to New Jersey

Earlier this year, Medicare announced they’d be replacing the social security numbers on Medicare cards with randomly generated ID numbers. Until now, your Medicare ID number was your social security number with a letter appended to it. Since seniors carry their Medicare cards with them to use at appointments, their social security numbers were at…

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Is the Sky Falling on Medicare Funding?

You may have heard about the recent report from Medicare’s trustees, projecting Medicare funding to run out three years earlier than they previously thought. The trust fund for Medicare Part A will run out by 2026, the report says, putting millions of seniors and disabled people at risk. If you or your loved ones are Park…

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Understanding New Jersey Medigap Plans

Medigap is an extra level of insurance you can buy from a private company. It covers Medicare’s co-payments and deductibles, as well as health insurance if you travel outside the country. Medigap plans do not cover any service that Medicare itself doesn’t cover, so it wouldn’t cover your long-term care nursing, for example. There are…

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An End to the Medicare Therapy Cap?

If you stopped following the news coming out of Washington, I don’t blame you. It’s pretty frustrating to watch our elected representatives dilly-dally on the budget. But here’s one piece of news worth knowing: Medicare’s therapy cap may finally be repealed. Yesterday, the House passed a stopgap spending bill in an attempt to avoid another…

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Geriatricians Numbers Fall in SNFs as Advanced Doctors Move In

Geriatricians are on the decline at skilled nursing facilities, (SNF’s), according to a recent report in Skilled Nursing News.   Geriatricians: What Is A Geriatrician Physician? A geriatric physician, also called a geriatrician, is a medical doctor who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease in elderly adults. Their credentials are board certified,…

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