Applying For Government Benefits - Provides information about Medicare, Social Security programs (Disability,
SSI, Retirement and Survivor) Benefits as well as provides the resources to calculate the benefits you should receive,
how to make appeals, what your physician should do to help you and other related information.
Forms or Tools
To Help You
HMO, PPO, Or Fee-For-Service worksheet - Would your loved one prefer using an HMO, PPO, or
fee-for-service insurance? Use this worksheet
to find out. Simple questions to help you determine your options.
Health Insurance: Best Buys worksheet - A worksheet to help you and your loved one choose the right health insurance policy
by laying out the different options to add up the actual costs, including premiums. Estimate what your loved one might spend
on deductibles,coinsurance and/or copayments, and services that are not covered
Insurance Info~General
Benefits CheckUp -
The National Council on the Aging created BenefitsCheckUp to help older adults to quickly identify programs that may improve
the quality of their lives. Family and friends can also obtain facts about benefits that their loved ones may qualify for.
Chances are, you will be surprised to learn what benefits are available to you, regardless of your income.
Here's how it works: You take 10 or 15 minutes to enter information about
your financial situation into an online questionnaire. Then, Benefits CheckUp explains what benefit programs you may be eligible
for and how to apply for them. BenefitsCheckUp is completely confidential. It's free!
The Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA) is the nation's most prominent trade association representing the private health care
system. Its more than 290 members provide health, long-term care, disability,
dental, and supplemental coverage to more than 123 million Americans.
Following are few of HIAA's guidelines:
Other
Forms of Health Insurance - Specified or dread disease policies provide benefits only if you get the specific disease or group of diseases named in the policy. For example, a policy might cover only medical care for cancer. Because benefits are limited in amount, these policies are not a substitute for broad medical coverage. Nor are specified disease policies available in every state.
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Medical Insurance Bureau's Facts On You! Do you know what is in your Medical Information Bureau Files? When you apply for a Life Insurance Policy, there is a place for you to sign allowing the Insurance Company
to check your Medical Information from various sources. What if the information is wrong?How do you know what is in
the files about your health condition is accurate? Read this to learn how you can obtain the information on your medical
records that MIB is sharing with insurance companies!
From CNBC
Children
Childhood Disability
Evaluation Rules effective on January 2, 2001-The final rules
do not change the disability standard for children. They continue to define the statutory standard of "marked and severe functional
limitations" and also simplified and clarified the language of some rules
Deeming Resources for
Children in the SSI Program - The SSI law provides
that we must count some of a parent's income and resources as belonging to a child when we decide if a child is eligible.
A parent's income can also lower a child's SSI payment amount. Read this SSA article.
Social Security-Children
With Disabilities -The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) offers social security
benefits for eligible children. Disabled children who have limited income and resources, or who
come from homes with limited income and resources, may be eligible to receive social security, or specifically, Supplemental
Security Income (SSI). Children can qualify if they meet SSA's definition of disability and if their income and assets fall
within eligibility limits.
Insurance Rates
Modern Maturity article covers what Medicare (50%), Medicaid
(15%), patient (20%), private insurance coverage (10%) and the rest from other
sources covers for care.
Shop for the best rates
MSN MoneyCentral offers you quick, easy access to online health insurance quotes. Find
out what is available in your state. Click on Insurance Quotes
LIFE INSURANCE
Buying Life Insurance Before you buy a life insurance policy, you should compare insurance rates, choose
a trustworthy agent and check the reliability of your insurance company
Life Insurance Options When it comes to choosing a life insurance policy,
you may feel dazed by your options. Here are the basic types
and the pros and cons of each
Medicaid/Medicare
Medicare
and Medicaid Differences Explained - A comparison between Medicare and Medicaid and explanations of both types of coverage.
People are often confused about the differences between Medicare and Medicaid. Eligibility for Medicare is not tied to individual
need. Rather, it is an entitlement program; you are entitled to it because you or your spouse paid for it through Social Security
taxes. Medicaid, on the other hand, is a federal program for low-income, financially needy people, set up by the federal government
and administered differently in each state. Although you may qualify and receive coverage from both Medicare and Medicaid,
there are separate eligibility requirements for each program; being eligible for one program does not necessarily mean you
are eligible for the other. |
Medicaid/Medicare continued
Locate your state's Medicaid
office and information on their programs
Toll free numbers and contact information
for all USA Medicaid offices
Many states now offer waiver programs which provide more resources
for families. For example, some states will pay the family caregiver or provide you your benefits directly, vs having to go
through their approved sources. Locate those waiver programs in your state.
fact sheets that explain the importance of the Medicaid program, and how
children in every state rely on it for their health care.
Benefits-Legal Help SSI, Medicare, Medicaid Etc. - Using Creative Alimony, Child Support and Property
Settlements to Maximize SSI and Medicaid. This article was written by a Family Law Attorney for Neigh-borhood Legal Services
and provides an excellent description of Social Security, SSI, Medicare and Medicaid as well as providing examples of how
using things such as "creative alimony", child support and property settle-ments can be used to maximize SSI and Medicaid specially for a child with disabilities.
The first part discusses each
of the programs, qualifications, expected payments, limitations, etc. What I did not know is, under "Early and Periodic Screening,
Diagnosis and Treatment"
(EPSDT) " a state must provide to Medicaid beneficiaries
under age 21 any service among those listed in the Medicaid Act, including optional services, whether or not the service is included in the state's Medicaid plan or is provided to adults."
Medicaid is a jointly-funded, Federal-State health insurance program for certain low-income
and needy people. This search engine has been specifically designed to help you locate the information you are looking for
as easily and quickly as possible.as
Fact: Medicare offers health and disability insurance to retirees who never had a chance at insurance
before the government-sponsored program was begun in 1996.
Myth: Medicare covers all
of a persons medical expenses. If you believe that, you could end up destitute
like many senior citizens before the Social Security Act of 1966,
which established Medicare. Click above to read full article.
Several valuable resources from the Medicare Rights Center (MRC)
HCFA, administers Medicare, the nation's largest health insurance program, which covers
over 39 million Americans. Following are HCFA documents.
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-
information for physicians, providers,
researchers, analysts, and others
Medicare
FAQ
From Nolo.law Answers to frequently asked
questions about What is Medicare? Who is eligible for Medicare Part A coverage? How much of my bill will Medicare Part A pay?
What kinds of costs does Medicare Part B cover?How much of my bill will Medicare Part B pay?
An explanation of Medicare's home health care coverage. (21 pages) Available in English,
Chinese and Spanish. Medicare Basics; About Medicare Health Plan Choices and Supple-mental Coverage; About Health
Care Choices; About Your Rights and Protections; Health Information;Medicare Q&A's
Several valuable resources from the Medicare Rights Center (MRC)
Medicare Rights-Home Health & Hospice-On line Consumer Booklet from Medicare
Rights Center (MRC) which is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that older adults and
people with disabilities get good, affordable health care.
From Nolo.law
Minding the Gap in Medicare Coverage -If you're ill or seriously injured, Medicare won't cover all your expenses. Here's
what you need to know about the policies designed to pick up the slack, called Medigap insurance.
Who Benefits From Medicare Managed Care?-You'll be in a better position to weigh the costs and benefits of Medicare managed
care plans if you understand how insurance companies and doctors make money through them.
Pre-existing Conditions
Many people worry about coverage for pre-existing conditions, especially when they change jobs.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA) helps assure continued health insurance coverage
for employees and their dependents. Starting July 1, 1997, insurers could impose only one 12-month waiting period for any pre-existing condition treated or diagnosed in the previous six months.
Your prior health insurance coverage will be credited toward the
pre-existing condition
exclusion period as long as you have main-tained continuous
coverage without a break of more than 62 days. Pregnancy is not considered a pre-existing
condition, and newborns and adopted children who are covered within 30 days are not subject to the 12-month waiting period.
If you have had group health coverage for two years, and you switch jobs and go to another plan,
that new health plan cannot impose another pre-existing
condition exclusion period. If, for example, you have
had prior coverage of only eight months, you may be subject to a four-month, pre-existing condition exclusion period when you switch jobs. If you've never been covered by an employers group plan, and you
get a job that offers such coverage, you may be subject
to a 12-month, preexisting condition waiting period.
Federal law also makes it easier for you to get individual insurance
under certain situations, including if you have left a
job where you had group health insurance, or had another
plan for more than 18 months without a break of more than 62
days.
If you have not been covered under a group plan and have found it
difficult to get insurance on your own, check with your
state insurance department to see if your state has a
risk pool. Similar to risk pools for automobile insurance, these can provide health insurance for people who cannot get it elsewhere.
Prescription Drug Programs
No Insurance? Try Siding Scale Savings - Most states aren't allowed to tell you about the payment sliding scale they can offer you
for medical services but by asking for it, you can get a 40 to 60% decrease in their service charges! Tell them before
getting the service that you are "Self-Paid and want their sliding scale discount". Most hospitals,
walk-in clinics, and physician's will offer this discount. You can not have any other insurance ie must be
self-paid.
New in 2002, drug manufacturer's discount prescription cards. How and where to apply,
eligibility, etc.
Many other resources available to help you with coverage of prescribed medication
coverage. |
