The GeorgiaCares State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) is helping Medicare recipients make informed decisions about which prescription drug and Advantage plan options are best for them. Beginning on October 15, consumers can compare available plans by visiting www.Medicare.gov. They may also call GeorgiaCares toll-free at 1-800-669-8387 for personalized assistance.
Open enrollment for Medicare Part C and D begins November 15, and recipients will have until December 31, 2010, to make their choices. With so many options available, choosing the right one is important. This is the first year that there will be one election period for both Part C and D plans. After this time, plan changes can be made during the annual Disenrollment Period of January 1 - February 15th of each year. During the Disenrollment Period, beneficiaries will only be allowed to leave a Medicare Part C plan and return to Original Medicare (Parts A and B) with the option of choosing a prescription drug plan.
“The GeorgiaCares SHIP network provides one-on-one assistance, so that callers can get personalized help as they compare their options and decide on which plans best meet their needs,” said Dr. James J. Bulot, director of the DHS Division of Aging Services.
GeorgiaCares SHIP counselors are available through the statewide network of Area Agencies on Aging and will provide community education sessions and answer hotline calls to help beneficiaries understand their options for next year. Beneficiaries can call GeorgiaCares toll-free at 1-800-669-8387 or Medicare at 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227) for assistance.
GeorgiaCares SHIP and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) advise people who wish to make a change to do so as close as possible to the November 15 opening date to ensure their coverage will be available on January 1, 2011. Companies began marketing their plans on October 1.
GeorgiaCares SHIP services are free and also assist Medicare beneficiaries on Medicare, Medicaid and Medigap matters, including long-term care insurance, claims, resolution to billing problems, information and referral on public benefit programs aimed at those with limited incomes and assets, and other health care insurance information.
GeorgiaCares SHIP urges everyone to review their coverage and make sure that any changes to the plan for 2011 will still meet their needs. Beneficiaries who do not want to make a change can remain in their plan from 2010.
Beneficiaries who want to consider all of their options will have access to help from many sources, including a notice of any coverage changes from their drug plan; the enhanced Medicare Drug Plan Finder at www.medicare.gov; the Medicare & You 2011 annual handbook that explains Medicare coverage; 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227), which will be available 24/7; and GeorgiaCares - Local Help for People with Medicare, 1-800-669-8387.
For more information about services available to older Georgians and their families, visit the DHS Division of Aging Services at http://www.aging.dhr.georgia.gov or call (866) 55-AGING (552-4464).
Showing posts with label state. Show all posts
Showing posts with label state. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
AHRQ State Snapshots Expanded To Include New Data on Health Insurance Coverage
Editor Note: According to this new database, Georgia has improved its health care quality from "weak" to a low "average."
/PRNewswire/ -- The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's annual release of state-by-state quality data has been expanded to include new data on health insurance, including data on health care quality categorized by source of payment, including private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and those without insurance.
The new health insurance section allows users to compare payer-specific quality rates as well as differences among payers. For example, a state can compare the quality of care received by Medicaid or uninsured patients with that received by these same patients nationally. In addition, a state can assess whether its insurance-related disparities are larger or smaller compared with the nation as a whole.
The 2009 State Snapshots provide state-specific health care quality information, including strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for improvement. State-level information used to create the State Snapshots is based on data collected for the 2009 National Healthcare Quality Report. Overall, states get mixed reviews for the quality of care they provide. As in previous years, AHRQ's 2009 State Snapshots show that no state does well or poorly on all quality measures.
Maine, Maryland, Wyoming, South Carolina and the District of Columbia showed the greatest improvement. The five states showing the smallest improvement were North Dakota, Texas, West Virginia, Nebraska and Washington State. For each state, specific clinical conditions could be identified that account for different rates of improvement.
"The addition of the insurance information to the State Snapshots adds one more dimension to the picture of health care quality and disparities in individual states and regions," said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D. "The 2009 State Snapshots continue to evolve into an invaluable resource for state officials and other stakeholders."
The 2009 State Snapshots summarizes health care quality in three dimensions: types of care (preventive, acute and chronic care), settings of care (hospitals, ambulatory settings, nursing homes and home health care) and clinical conditions (cancer, diabetes, heart disease, maternal and child health and respiratory disease). There are also special focus areas on diabetes, asthma, Healthy People 2010 objectives, clinical preventive services and disparities.
Additional features in the 2009 State Snapshots provide more ways to analyze the quality of health care for each state compared with all states, as well as with states in the same region. New and enhanced features include enhanced sections on asthma care, diabetes care and health care disparities.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage
/PRNewswire/ -- The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's annual release of state-by-state quality data has been expanded to include new data on health insurance, including data on health care quality categorized by source of payment, including private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and those without insurance.
The new health insurance section allows users to compare payer-specific quality rates as well as differences among payers. For example, a state can compare the quality of care received by Medicaid or uninsured patients with that received by these same patients nationally. In addition, a state can assess whether its insurance-related disparities are larger or smaller compared with the nation as a whole.
The 2009 State Snapshots provide state-specific health care quality information, including strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for improvement. State-level information used to create the State Snapshots is based on data collected for the 2009 National Healthcare Quality Report. Overall, states get mixed reviews for the quality of care they provide. As in previous years, AHRQ's 2009 State Snapshots show that no state does well or poorly on all quality measures.
Maine, Maryland, Wyoming, South Carolina and the District of Columbia showed the greatest improvement. The five states showing the smallest improvement were North Dakota, Texas, West Virginia, Nebraska and Washington State. For each state, specific clinical conditions could be identified that account for different rates of improvement.
"The addition of the insurance information to the State Snapshots adds one more dimension to the picture of health care quality and disparities in individual states and regions," said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D. "The 2009 State Snapshots continue to evolve into an invaluable resource for state officials and other stakeholders."
The 2009 State Snapshots summarizes health care quality in three dimensions: types of care (preventive, acute and chronic care), settings of care (hospitals, ambulatory settings, nursing homes and home health care) and clinical conditions (cancer, diabetes, heart disease, maternal and child health and respiratory disease). There are also special focus areas on diabetes, asthma, Healthy People 2010 objectives, clinical preventive services and disparities.
Additional features in the 2009 State Snapshots provide more ways to analyze the quality of health care for each state compared with all states, as well as with states in the same region. New and enhanced features include enhanced sections on asthma care, diabetes care and health care disparities.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Overriding State Insurance Protections Should Not Be Part of Financial Re-Regulation Package, Writes Consumer Watchdog to Geithner, Frank
/PRNewswire/ -- Consumer Watchdog sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Geithner, House Financial Services Committee Chair Barney Frank, and Financial Services Subcommittee Chair Paul Kanjorski today, arguing that legislation intended to undermine state insurance protections (H.R. 2609) is inconsistent with the re-regulatory promise of the financial reform package. The bill will be marked up in the House Financial Services committee today.
"We are at a loss to understand why you have proposed a measure to deregulate the insurance industry by preempting state laws as part of the financial re-regulation package," wrote Consumer Watchdog. "Each version of the bill would restrict the ability of state lawmakers and regulators to protect insurance consumers by granting the Treasury Department and a new Federal Insurance Office the authority to preempt state laws and regulations on prudential matters on behalf of foreign insurance firms."
"This proposal is even more perplexing in light of the strong fight, on the part of both the administration and majority members of the Financial Services committee, to preserve states' ability to protect their citizens during the debate over the Consumer Financial Protection Agency," the letter continued.
As Assistant Treasury Secretary Michael Barr put it to the Washington Post last week:
"'Washington doesn't always know what's best'... He said the administration wanted to restore the right of states 'to protect their citizens with the rules that they think make sense.'"
"If Washington doesn't always know what's best for American consumers, why would you expect foreign diplomats and regulators to know what's best for American insurance policyholders?" asked Carmen Balber, Washington Director for Consumer Watchdog.
The letter concludes: "Wall Street firms are again riding high a year after the crash, but the rest of the country continues to suffer rising foreclosures, increased unemployment, and a dearth of credit. With American homes, jobs and businesses already on the line, now is hardly the time for Congress to place our insurance policies at risk as well."
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.politicalpotluck.com
Political News You Can Use
"We are at a loss to understand why you have proposed a measure to deregulate the insurance industry by preempting state laws as part of the financial re-regulation package," wrote Consumer Watchdog. "Each version of the bill would restrict the ability of state lawmakers and regulators to protect insurance consumers by granting the Treasury Department and a new Federal Insurance Office the authority to preempt state laws and regulations on prudential matters on behalf of foreign insurance firms."
"This proposal is even more perplexing in light of the strong fight, on the part of both the administration and majority members of the Financial Services committee, to preserve states' ability to protect their citizens during the debate over the Consumer Financial Protection Agency," the letter continued.
As Assistant Treasury Secretary Michael Barr put it to the Washington Post last week:
"'Washington doesn't always know what's best'... He said the administration wanted to restore the right of states 'to protect their citizens with the rules that they think make sense.'"
"If Washington doesn't always know what's best for American consumers, why would you expect foreign diplomats and regulators to know what's best for American insurance policyholders?" asked Carmen Balber, Washington Director for Consumer Watchdog.
The letter concludes: "Wall Street firms are again riding high a year after the crash, but the rest of the country continues to suffer rising foreclosures, increased unemployment, and a dearth of credit. With American homes, jobs and businesses already on the line, now is hardly the time for Congress to place our insurance policies at risk as well."
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.politicalpotluck.com
Political News You Can Use
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Insurance Deregulation Is Not Financial Reform, Says Consumer Watchdog
/PRNewswire/ -- Consumer Watchdog called on Congress to reject legislation allowing the Treasury Department to use international agreements to override state insurance laws, including those requiring insurers to hold enough money to pay all claims. The proposal is under consideration in the U.S. House Financial Services Committee today.
"State insurance regulators made sure that insurance companies had enough money in the bank to pay policyholder claims and weather the financial storm. Congress should not give a political appointee the power to take away that authority on behalf of foreign insurance companies," said Carmen Balber, Washington Director for Consumer Watchdog. "This bill promotes insurance deregulation as Congress should be strengthening financial service sector regulation."
Download Consumer Watchdog's letter with Public Citizen and US PIRG here: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/FedInsOfc10-6-09.pdf
The proposal, a discussion draft amending H.R. 2609 offered by Rep. Kanjorski, would give the Treasury Secretary unilateral new authority to negotiate international insurance agreements on prudential issues, determine if state insurance laws are "inconsistent" with such an agreement, and then preempt those state laws. Safeguards intended to exempt specific state insurance laws from preemption do not go far enough to protect important consumer protections, wrote the groups.
The letter reads: "Never before has the U.S. government allowed a federal agency to unilaterally interpret or enter into international agreements on subject matter under the authority of the legislative branch, and then preempt states through rule-making on the basis that state policies are in contradiction to those agreements."
Consumer Watchdog also objected to the lack of consumer representation on the Financial Services witness panel today.
Rep. Kanjorski offered similar legislation last year, which was pulled back in the wake of AIG's dramatic collapse.
Download Consumer Watchdog's letter opposing last year's legislation here: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/HR5840.pdf
Download last year's letter from Public Citizen and US PIRG: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/HR-5840-letter-Consumer.pdf
The groups supported efforts to develop greater federal information and expertise in insurance but noted that the proposed legislation goes far beyond information gathering.
In California, where voters enacted the nation's toughest system of insurance regulation with Proposition 103, consumers are protected from unfair or excessive insurance rates, illegal surcharges and other abusive and discriminatory practices. Any move to federalize insurance regulation would jeopardize these consumer protections, said Consumer Watchdog.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
"State insurance regulators made sure that insurance companies had enough money in the bank to pay policyholder claims and weather the financial storm. Congress should not give a political appointee the power to take away that authority on behalf of foreign insurance companies," said Carmen Balber, Washington Director for Consumer Watchdog. "This bill promotes insurance deregulation as Congress should be strengthening financial service sector regulation."
Download Consumer Watchdog's letter with Public Citizen and US PIRG here: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/FedInsOfc10-6-09.pdf
The proposal, a discussion draft amending H.R. 2609 offered by Rep. Kanjorski, would give the Treasury Secretary unilateral new authority to negotiate international insurance agreements on prudential issues, determine if state insurance laws are "inconsistent" with such an agreement, and then preempt those state laws. Safeguards intended to exempt specific state insurance laws from preemption do not go far enough to protect important consumer protections, wrote the groups.
The letter reads: "Never before has the U.S. government allowed a federal agency to unilaterally interpret or enter into international agreements on subject matter under the authority of the legislative branch, and then preempt states through rule-making on the basis that state policies are in contradiction to those agreements."
Consumer Watchdog also objected to the lack of consumer representation on the Financial Services witness panel today.
Rep. Kanjorski offered similar legislation last year, which was pulled back in the wake of AIG's dramatic collapse.
Download Consumer Watchdog's letter opposing last year's legislation here: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/HR5840.pdf
Download last year's letter from Public Citizen and US PIRG: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/HR-5840-letter-Consumer.pdf
The groups supported efforts to develop greater federal information and expertise in insurance but noted that the proposed legislation goes far beyond information gathering.
In California, where voters enacted the nation's toughest system of insurance regulation with Proposition 103, consumers are protected from unfair or excessive insurance rates, illegal surcharges and other abusive and discriminatory practices. Any move to federalize insurance regulation would jeopardize these consumer protections, said Consumer Watchdog.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)