Karen Fletcher
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Medicare Support and resources available for those impacted by California disasters
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As the wildfires continue to impact California, below are some useful resources and support options for beneficiaries and providers from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Regional Office. For General Assistance: For Medicare Beneficiaries: For Medicaid Recipients: For Healthcare Providers: Additional Information: In addition CMS’ listed resources and support options above, remember with…
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Open Enrollment is Almost Here! Watch Out for Scams
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Medicare’s Open Enrollment (October 15 – Dec 7) is fast approaching. Be prepared for an onslaught of television commercials, radio ads, events, mailings, phone calls and texts. It can be overwhelming and hard to navigate, but the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has marketing rules for Medicare Advantage and Part D plans to…
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Free COVID-19 Tests Again Available to All U.S. Households
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The federal government is again offering free Covid-19 tests to Americans, providing a seventh round of free tests to meet the need as we enter the fall and winter seasons. You can visit COVIDtests.gov to request four free tests to be shipped to your home. Available through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Health and Human…
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Increased Scrutiny for Hospice fraud – What’s happening in California
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In September, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) increased its oversight of Medicare’s hospice benefit in four states by expanding prepayment medical review in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas. To help reduce burden on compliant providers, CMS said in a statement that initial review volumes will be low and adjusted based on results. But…
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Medicare Part D Reforms: What They are & What starts in 2025
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The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 has made many positive changes to the Medicare program. For Medicare’s Part D Prescription Drug benefit, the IRA includes significant prescription cost-savings that took place in 2023, 2024 and two more coming in 2025 – the $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket drug costs and the Medicare Prescription Payment Program.…
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Helping Older Immigrants Navigate Medicare
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Did you know that more than 8 million U.S. residents age 65 and older are immigrants, and that 4 million Medicare beneficiaries have limited English proficiency? If you are an English-speaking older adult, or have loved ones who are, you have probably experienced how complex and confusing it is to navigate Medicare and all the…
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