Posts Tagged: Medicare
Opinion
OPINION – I see it all the time in my practice— prior authorization used to be required for only expensive, elective or new procedures, but it is now required for some of the most basic prescription drugs. And the data bears out what physicians are seeing, because while frequency rates of prior authorization denials in the commercial market remains mostly secret, we know that where we do have information – in the Medicaid and Medicare markets – the data paints a worrying picture.
Experts Expound
A single payer health care system is the Holy Grail for progressive Californians. But is it realistic or just a pipedream? We put the question to our experts.
Opinion
A proposal moving its way through the Legislature seeks to eliminate Medicare in California and pave the way for massive tax increases on California workers and employers.
News
Under AB 716, ambulance providers couldn’t bill patients more than the established payment by Medi-Cal or Medicare fee-for -service amount, which is ever is greater.
Opinion
OPINION: Strengthening Medicare by adding dental benefits could help more than 4.5 million in California; the largest number of Medicare beneficiaries of any state. Most seniors are surprised to learn that when they retire and begin to rely on Medicare for their health coverage, they are left without oral health care. In fact, of the 60 million Medicare beneficiaries, more than two-thirds don’t have any dental coverage at all.
Opinion
OPINION: The need for infection prevention opened the door for telehealth, and we cannot let that door slam shut after the pandemic. Telehealth is essential to expanding people’s access to health care and the health system’s capacity.
Opinion
OPINION: I first started having problems with my kidneys when I was 11-years-old. By the time I was 20, I was on dialysis. I was able to keep my kidneys for a while, but as often happens with kidney disease, the illness eventually took over. Almost 40 years and three kidney transplants later, I have beaten the odds by staying alive, but only because of the dialysis treatment I receive every day.
Recent News
The Madera patient says he likes his Kaiser doctor and has no desire to switch to publicly funded Medicare, even though he qualifies. But if Senate Bill 1156 is approved, Adames likely wouldn’t get that choice. The bill would require that patients like him receiving third-party assistance would either need to enroll in Medicare or Medi-Cal (for those who are low income), or if they choose to stay on private insurance, they will only receive reimbursement at Medicare or Medi-Cal’s much lower rates.
News
The results of a presidential election won by Republican Donald Trump has some in a panic. And with GOP majorities in both houses of Congress, Trump presumably can do just about anything. But California health advocates are not talking about abandoning the state’s healthcare system. They’re preparing for a fight.
Opinion
Not long ago, I had dinner with a group of friends from college. One of the big topics of conversation was Medicare, for which we’ll all be eligible in the next several years. (Farewell, callow youth!) And one of the biggest questions about Medicare was, “How much is it going to cost me?” Like private health insurance, Medicare has premiums, deductibles, and co-pays. These costs can – and often do – change from year to year. What you actually pay depends on your work history, income, and inflation.
California health care, image by Niyazz
