Choosing to enter hospice care can be a wrenching decision for yourself or a loved one. Hospice is intended to help terminally-ill people live out their lives as comfortably as possible. Hospice doesn’t focus on curing disease and it’s not only for people with cancer. Medicare’s hospice benefit...

Did you know Medicare helps pay for prescription medications? Even if you don’t take many prescriptions now, you should consider joining a Medicare drug plan. There are two ways to get Medicare prescription drug coverage: 1. Medicare standalone drug plans, also known as Part D plans, add drug coverage...

The biggest news in Medicare for 2016 is the Part B premium. I’m happy to report that for most people with Medicare, the premium will stay the same as it was in 2015: $104.90 per month. In fact, Part B premiums – which pay for doctor services, outpatient care, and preventive health benefits, among...

It’s an unfortunate truth, but health care fraud drives up costs for everyone in the health care system. Fraud schemes often depend on identity thieves getting hold of people’s Medicare numbers. So guard your Medicare number. Treat it as you would a credit card. What can you do to protect yourself...

When you shop for a new car, you don’t just buy the first one you see, right? Of course not. You shop around, looking for the best deal you can get on a vehicle that fits your driving needs as well as your pocketbook. Well, it’s the time of year when you should think about shopping for a Medicare...

The best way to stay healthy is to live a healthy lifestyle. You can live a healthy lifestyle and prevent disease by exercising, eating well, keeping a healthy weight, and not smoking. Medicare can help. Medicare pays for many preventive services to keep you healthy. Preventive services can find health...

Diabetes is a serious disease. It can lead to kidney problems, glaucoma and other eye disorders, foot ulcers, amputation of feet or legs, stroke, diabetic coma, and even death. If your doctor thinks you’re at risk for diabetes, Medicare covers screening tests for it. And, if you develop the disease,...

It’s easy to forget that before 1966, roughly half of all American seniors were uninsured, living in fear that the high cost of health care could plunge not only them, but also their families, into poverty. Few of us remember that not long ago, far too many disabled people, families with children,...

People ask me all kinds of questions about Medicare. One of the most frequent concerns is whether they should sign up for Medicare Part B. Part B is medical insurance. It covers professional fees for doctors and other health care providers, outpatient treatment, durable medical equipment, home health...

Do you ever have questions about your Medicare? Have you ever wondered where you can get fast, reliable answers to those questions – free of charge? There’s a terrific program in your community that can help. It’s called the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, or SHIP. If you’re eligible...