A clearer picture is emerging of what you’ll pay in Medicare premiums and deductibles, now that the dust has settled with passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015.

Are your prescriptions covered next year if you stay on the same Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plan? Will you pay more in Medicare plan premiums or deductibles? Medicare’s open enrollment is just days away — see what you can do to stay on top of health care costs in 2016.

Hearing “death panel” in the news again? Medicare announced on July 8 that it plans to start paying doctors to provide “advanced care planning,” or “end-of-life planning” for beneficiaries. When a similar proposal appeared in the federal Affordable Care Act six years ago, opponents who called it a government-sanctioned “death panel” successfully derailed the conversation. So why is the proposal now being heralded as “groundbreaking,” a “game-changer” and a “seismic” shift for Medicare, and what does it mean for you?

Health care costs made headlines again this week with the release of research revealing that dozens of hospitals are marking up prices more than 1,000%.

Premiums change, drug formularies change and insurance carriers come out with new plans each year. Failing to review your plan each year could cost you thousands of dollars out of your own pocket. Look at the difference between a good and bad decision.

A survey of married couples age 60 to 66 shows that many feel uneducated about their Medicare choices and are actively searching for more information*. The survey, by Social Security Timing®, revealed that a majority of respondents rated their knowledge of Medicare and its various parts as low.

How would you define the difference between being “admitted as an inpatient” into the hospital versus being “held for observation”?  You may be in the hospital for the same amount of time and receive the same services, so it’s the same thing, right? Unfortunately, there is a difference, and what is seemingly a small difference could end up costing you considerably. 

With all of the media coverage and debate about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – also called Obamacare and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – it’s easy to be confused.