Entries for December 2009

By MATT SEDENSKY, Associated Press Writer The first box that arrived at Shirley Shupp's door was filled with braces to help with her arthritis. Then came a motorized scooter, just like the one the 69-year-old already owned. She hadn't asked for any of it — but Medicare was apparently footing the bill. "There was just something that wasn't ri...

 Doughnut hole must be eliminated As a senior citizen who also is licensed Pennsylvania insurance agent specializing in senior health insurance programs, I can personally attest to the need to terminate the doughnut hole concept. This concept has been flawed from the very beginning, in that it terminates drug coverage when it is most nee...

As the open enrollment period continues for those without or wishing to change their Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, scammers are at it again, making telephone calls to elderly people in town and trying to obtain credit card or bank account information. The open enrollment period ends Dec. 31, 2009. Swansea Council on Aging Executive...

On July 31, Mike West fell into the infamous doughnut hole of Medicare prescription coverage. Instead of paying $40 a month for his prescription medication, his out-of-pocket costs suddenly ballooned to $400 a month. To get by, he did what Medicare recipients all over the country report doing: He cut back on his medication. "I just take less," he...

Esther Notrica dreads this time of year when she must review dozens of  Medicare prescription drug plans to figure out which one works best for her.   "It's very complicated," said Notrica, a 74-year-old Buckhead retiree, who takes 12  medications daily for  high blood pressure, diabetes and arthritis, among other ailments. ...

Open Enrollment for Prescription Drug Plan Gives Seniors More Choices With enrollment open for Medicare’s prescription drug insurance plan between now and the end of the year, many seniors have questions.     “I don’t even know about Plan D,” said Joan Newcomer, a 73-year-old Silver Creek resident who has been on Medicare for nea...

Medicare maxes people out Source: Hartford Advocate The other day an elderly woman fell into a donut hole right before my eyes. I was standing in line at the drugstore, waiting for a prescription. The customers ahead of me were a diminutive woman leaning precariously on a cane — the quintessential little old lady — and her late-middle-aged daug...

  Kaiser Health News (12/1, Galewitz) reports, "Seniors have until the end of the year to switch Medicare drug plans to get a better deal. But many will pass up the chance to save hundreds of dollars a year in prescription costs." According to Kaiser, this is because, "with dozens of drug plans on the market, many seniors get overwhelm...