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Seniors Health Insurance Information Program

shows the front of a Medicare card

Seniors signing up during Medicare open enrollment hitting glitches

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Seniors signing up during Medicare open enrollment hitting glitches - North Carolina Health News

Annual open enrollment for Medicare started Oct. 15 and concludes Dec. 7. State officials and advocates involved in Medicare benefits say glitches are slowing the process for consumers to sign up, even as the process gets more complex.

By Thomas Goldsmith A newly revised Medicare sign-up page can produce drastically inflated costs for some drugs, incorrect premiums for low-income people, and other “worrisome” results, say North Carolina health officials who work to make sure people over 65 get appropriate benefits. Top management at the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, known as […]

Shows the computer home page for people to choose a Medicare plan

Medicare’s key means for selecting coverage has grown harder to use, advocates say

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Medicare’s key means for selecting coverage has grown harder to use, advocates say - North Carolina Health News

Controversy is roiling over the revised Medicare Plan Finder, an online tool for selecting optimal plans. Medicare says it’ll be fine after some tweaking, but some advocates say it has major problems.

By Thomas Goldsmith and Anne Blythe Advocates for older people contend that the online method many people and advisers use to select Medicare plans has gotten so difficult to navigate that beneficiaries will run into trouble trying to make their choices. Federal Medicare representatives maintain there’s real benefit to consumers in changes the agency has […]

Four people on a panel on stage, flanked by Congress banners

We know what you did this summer

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We know what you did this summer - North Carolina Health News

Members of Congress return to Washington, D.C. from their August recess today. We asked N.C.’s Congressional delegation if they had addressed any health care-related issues in their home districts during the break.

By Yen Duong Since early August, most members of Congress have been back in their home districts for the annual summer recess, and they head back to Washington, D.C. this week. Summer is a traditional time for lawmakers to leave Congress behind, and get in touch with constituents. Many hold town halls, tour public works […]

shows a woman's hand holding pill bottle, with SHIIP client in the background

No Gaps In Understanding: Here’s Your Primer On Medigap Coverage

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No Gaps In Understanding: Here’s Your Primer On Medigap Coverage - North Carolina Health News

Medicare during open enrollment season begins on Oct. 15, so it's important for seniors to know their options.

By Judith Graham Kaiser Health News Every year, older adults can opt out of a Medicare Advantage plan and opt in to original Medicare during open enrollment season, which begins on Oct. 15. But unexpected problems can arise with this change. Notably, seniors who want to return to original Medicare might not be able to […]

NC SHIIP Hangs on to Funding in $1.3 Trillion Federal Budget

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NC SHIIP Hangs on to Funding in $1.3 Trillion Federal Budget - North Carolina Health News

Programs that benefit older Americans are tiny in the context of the $1.3 trillion federal budget passed March 23. Maybe that’s why most, including North Carolina’s Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program, survived the Congressional budget process.

By Thomas Goldsmith Federal dollars will keep flowing to North Carolina’s popular Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program, or SHIIP, and other aging programs following passage of the $1.3 trillion federal budget for 2018. Activists for older people had swung into action after the U.S. House and President Donald Trump initially proposed cutting all funding for […]

shows a woman's hand holding pill bottle, with SHIIP client in the background

SHIIP, Seniors’ Source for Medicare Advice, Faces Budget Axe

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SHIIP, Seniors’ Source for Medicare Advice, Faces Budget Axe - North Carolina Health News

This week’s federal budget talks could bring cuts, or even elimination, to North Carolina’s SHIIP program. The Seniors Health Insurance Information Program, like similar state programs nationally, aims to help people make better Medicare choices.

By Thomas Goldsmith With additional reporting by Rose Hoban Medicare, the federal health care system for people 65 and older, presents a complex maze of decisions for those who sign up for its plans. And this week’s federal budget talks could bring cuts, or even elimination, to a program designed to help people make Medicare […]

shows an older doctor testing the ears of a male patient sitting in a chair in a clinic

Beware Scammers as New Medicare Cards Arrive

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Beware Scammers as New Medicare Cards Arrive - North Carolina Health News

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will start sending out new Medicare cards in April with a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier in place of a Social Security number. But that's it. Recipients don't have to do anything more than start using the card.

By Thomas Goldsmith If someone tries to “help” an older person who’s gotten one of the new Medicare cards, look out. Mike Causey, state insurance commissioner, is warning of scam artists trying to take advantage of a no-frills change to Medicare cards. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will start sending out new cards […]

shows the front of a Medicare card

Medicare Suspends “Seamless Conversion” Practice, Allows For Re-enrollment

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Medicare Suspends “Seamless Conversion” Practice, Allows For Re-enrollment - North Carolina Health News

By Thomas Goldsmith The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is backing away from a controversial “seamless conversion” policy, temporarily suspending the practice for new applications from insurance companies and allowing those enrolled under it to re-enroll in other plans including traditional Medicare. Under seamless conversion, an insurance company has been allowed to notify a […]

shows the front of a Medicare card

Letter from Insurer Could Contain Unwanted Medicare “Conversion”

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Letter from Insurer Could Contain Unwanted Medicare “Conversion” - North Carolina Health News

When North Carolina health-insurance customers near 65, there’s one letter among the stream of Medicare-related mail that they really should open and read. By Thomas Goldsmith State insurance officials say that a letter from someone’s current insurance company could soon notify the beneficiary that the person has been automatically enrolled in a private “Medicare Advantage” […]

Senior PharmAssist counselor Marilyn Disco checks a client's medications. Photo credit: Jim Colman, Senior PharmAssist

NC Advocates Fight Move to Cut Federal SHIIP Funding (UPDATED)

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NC Advocates Fight Move to Cut Federal SHIIP Funding (UPDATED) - North Carolina Health News

A federal proposal would gut a program that helps tens of thousands of North Carolina seniors. By Thomas Goldsmith North Carolinians who turn 65 and sign up for Medicare face scores of choices on prescription drug plans, hospitalization plans and, in some cases, private Medicare plans. Making the wrong choice can cost consumers hundreds or […]

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