Today, NBC reported on a story about hospitalized seniors pushed into nursing home care who are never "admitted" and rack up thousand of dollars in fees that Medicare won't cover. Unbeknownst to patients and their families, hospital officials place patients in an observation status instead of admitting them as an in-patient. As a result, the time spent in the hospital is not counted towards the nursing home care, leaving the patient on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars out-of-pocket expenses after leaving the hospital. Some Medicare critics are calling it a coverage gap, but in reality its a game being played by the hospitals to reduce the risk of a federal auditor finding them out of compliance. Hospitals are at risk of losing full Medicare reimbursement if an auditor determines an inpatient stay should have been classified as an observation stay. As a result, hospitals are more likely to use the observation stay status. Patients classified as under observation status … [Read more...]
#AARP recommends sensible solutions to strengthen Medicare
Last week AARP representatives from all 50 states visited Capitol Hill to express opposition to the President’s proposed "Chained CPI" Social Security benefit cuts and to support responsible solutions to strengthen Medicare. The AARP representatives urged Senators, Members of Congress and their staff, to back specific proposals that would strengthen Medicare for future generations. According to a recent piece on Huffington Post by A. Barry Rand, AARP CEO, As part of our You've Earned a Say conversation, more than 6.5 million AARP members and people 50-plus shared their views on the future of Medicare and Social Security. Here's what you have told us: People depend on Medicare and Social Security for health and financial security. They want these programs to remain strong for themselves and especially for their kids and grandkids. They've raised their voices, but Washington isn't listening. The "You've Earned a Say conversation" mention by Rand is an AARP initiative to get Washington … [Read more...]
Rep. Ryan meets President at White House. Are Medicare cuts coming?
When the sequester hit the federal budget seven days ago, the budget hawk on the right, Rep. Paul Ryan, started re-floating his 2012 budget plan as the solution. Opponents of the GOP budget will recall that Ryan is in favor of raising the age for Medicare eligibility and privatizing the health care program. The White House is doing its part to fix the budget crisis by cancelling White House tours. Forbes suggests doing a better job reducing Medicare fraud and over-payments. Meanwhile, an Associated Press news leak suggests that Ryan could be lunching at the White House with President Barack Obama today. The president is trying to build support for starting talks on a long-term deficit reduction deal. Could the "deal" include portions of Ryan's proposed plans for Medicare? Obama is willing to consider cuts to the entitlement program to reduce the deficit, but would not agree to increase the Medicare eligibility age as part of a deficit reduction deal with … [Read more...]