Blogs - Page 3 of 4 | State Health Insurance Assistance Programs

April 29, 2024

Preparing for Future Health Care Needs

You might assume that your family would be able to make your health care decisions for you if you were to become incapacitated. However, this isn’t always the case. Your family may not agree on what’s best, or essential decisions could fall to your providers instead. This is why it’s important for you to plan. In this blog, learn about advance directives, living wills, health care proxies, and powers of attorney to help ensure that decisions made on your behalf meet your needs and preferences.

March 28, 2024

Medicare for Federal Employees and Retirees

Federal Employee Health Benefits, or FEHB, plans cover current and retired government employees. FEHB plans can be either Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), or Fee-for-service (FFS) plans. HMOs have networks of providers, and you usually must see in-network providers to be sure services are covered. In an HMO, your out-of-pocket costs may be lower than in […]

January 24, 2024

Appealing End of Care

If you’re receiving care in a hospital or non-hospital setting, you may be told that your Medicare will no longer pay for your care and that you will be discharged. You have the right to file a fast appeal if you feel that continued care is medically necessary. There are separate processes for hospital and […]

November 21, 2023

Part D Appeals

Sometimes a Part D plan won’t cover a medication that you need. Let’s discuss what you can do if this happens. First, understand your right to appeal. A Part D appeal is a formal request for review of a coverage decision made by your Part D plan. If your Part D plan denies coverage of […]

October 24, 2023

Choosing Doctors and Other Providers

Depending on how you get your Medicare coverage, you will have different considerations when choosing health care providers, such as doctors, hospitals, or medical equipment suppliers. Let’s discuss the factors you should consider so that your care is covered at the lowest cost. With these factors in mind, you can choose your next health care […]

September 25, 2023

Protecting Yourself from Marketing Violations

During Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period, you will likely experience more marketing from private Medicare plans, like Medicare Advantage Plans and Part D plans. Companies try to reach consumers in various ways, like television commercials, radio ads, events, mailings, phone calls, and texts. The government has rules, though, to protect you from forceful or misleading marketing. […]

June 26, 2023

Medicare and Transportation Services

Ambulances are vehicles that transport patients to and from medical facilities, like hospitals. Ambulances are medically equipped and staffed by professionals like EMTs or paramedics. Let’s look at how Medicare covers transportation in ambulances. Medicare Part B covers emergency ambulance transportation. Medicare considers an emergency to be any situation when your health is in serious […]

May 1, 2023

Medicare Coverage of Mental Health and Addiction Treatment

Before we dive into Medicare’s coverage of mental health care, let’s talk about what mental health care is. Mental health care refers to services and programs intended to help diagnose and treat mental illnesses or mental health conditions. A mental illness or mental health condition affects your thinking, feeling, or mood. Examples of mental health […]

March 24, 2023

Talking to Your Doctor

It is important to work with your doctor to ensure you get the best health care possible. This blog covers how you can build an effective relationship with your doctor and make the most of your visits. Communicate well with your health care provider. Communication is very important when building relationships with your health care […]

February 23, 2023

Medicare and Home Health Care

Leaving your home to receive health care can be difficult or impossible for some. This blog post covers how Medicare covers home health care. First, what is home health care exactly? Home health care includes health and social services that you receive in your home to treat an illness or injury. Medicare covers the following […]

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