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Does Medicare Cover COVID Testing and Treatment in 2020?

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Does Medicare cover COVID testing? What are COVID-19 symptoms? Is Coronavirus treatment in and out of the hospital included in Medicare? How much will I have to pay for care?

Does Medicare Cover COVID Testing and Treatment?

Coronavirus testing is included in your Medicare Part B coverage. Your cost for testing should be $0 when the test is conducted by a lab, pharmacy, doctor or hospital.

Your test should be ordered by your doctor to diagnose or rule out the COVID infection.

You, as an individual, may choose to have the screening for personal reasons. This would not be considered medically necessary and would not be covered by Medicare.

What are COVID symptoms that indicate I may be infected?

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

  • Fever or chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Headache
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Sore throat
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Diarrhea

Will Medicare Cover My Coronavirus Treatment in or out of the Hospital?

Seriously ill patients may need inpatient and/or outpatient services. Medicare covers inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing facility (SNF) stays, some home health visits, and hospice care under Part A. Beneficiaries who need medical care following a hospitalization have coverage in a skilled nursing facility.

FAQ from Kaiser Foundation

You will find a wealth of information from the Washington Post. These reports are available at no charge. You do not need to register to view the articles.

Am I considered “high risk” for Contracting the Chinese Virus?

Older adults and those with compromised immune systems tend to be more susceptible to contracting the disease.

Medical conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes, COPD, and asthma can tax your immune system putting you in a higher risk category than the rest of the population.

Additional information about COVID-19 from these resources
https://www.coronavirus.gov/
https://www.usa.gov/coronavirus

CORONAVIRUS Facts to Ease Your Fears

The CDC estimates the overall fatality rate is .26%.

Ninety-four percent of COVID-19 deaths involve, on average, 2.6 additional conditions or causes of death.

Those outside of nursing homes, the infection fatality rate is estimated to be just 0.13 percent.

About one-third of Covid-19 deaths occur in nursing homes, or other long-term care facilities.

For more information visit Flatten The Fear

What do I Need to Know about the Vaccine?

Coronavirus vaccines MAY prevent you from contracting the disease. As with any medication or vaccination, there may be side effects.

You may have pain or swelling where you received the shot.

You could also experience fever, chills, tiredness or headache.

Tests indicate the vaccine may be 90 to 95% effective in preventing the virus.

It is not yet known if the vaccine will prevent you from getting sick or it merely prevents you from having symptoms of the disease. “Full” protection may require a second dose.

Questions still remain about the vaccinations. Among those include:

What COVID-19 vaccines have been approved and how do they work?

Can the vaccine give you COVID-19?

Are there some people who should NOT get the vaccination?

If I have tested positive for the illness should I still get the vaccine?

Do I still need to wear a mask or practice social distancing after getting the shot?

Should I still use hand sanitizer and wash my hands after being in public?

Do I need to avoid contact with others if I have a fever or feel sick?

Medicare telehealth video

Coronavirus and Medicare Advantage plans.

Shop and compare Georgia Medicare plans and supplement rates. Bob Vineyard, GA Medicare insurance agent. Anthem Blue Cross Medigap rates available on request. Quoted on the phone and a report sent by email.

#CoronavirusAndMedicareCoverage #DoesMedicarePayForCOVID19TestingAndTreatment #GeorgiaMedicarePlans

Medicare Hospital Bonus 2019

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Do you know about the Medicare hospital bonus program? Hospitals can get cash for better results. The idea sounds good in theory, but there is a dangerous underbelly to this plan. (UPDATED 6/28/2020)

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said on Tuesday that 55%—more than 1,500 hospitals out of approximately 2,700 facilities participating in the program—got a slightly higher Medicare payment under the program. Overall there will be $1.9 billion in incentive payments for hospitals in federal fiscal year 2020, which runs from Oct. 1 until Sept. 30, the same amount as fiscal 2019.

“The highest performing hospital in FY 2020 will receive a net increase in payments of 2.93 percent, and the lowest-performing hospital will incur a net decrease in payments of [negative] 1.72 percent,” the agency said.

Fierce Healthcare
Medicare hospital bonus

Quality of Care and Medicare Hospital Bonus

Quality of care bonuses. What could possibly go wrong?

So how does Medicare decide winners and losers?

Eight of the current 25 quality standards, Yahoo News reported, are based on patient satisfaction: communication with nurses; communication with doctors; responsiveness of hospital staff; pain management; communication about medicines; cleanliness and quietness of hospital environment; discharge information and overall rating of the hospital.

The rest are based on  how often hospitals followed clinical standards of care, such as controlling heart surgery patients’  blood sugar levels and giving them beta blockers to lower their blood pressure.

Georgia Health News

All sounds so simple. If a hospital delivers better results, and you are a satisfied customer, they can get a Medicare hospital bonus.

Do you think hospitals might “cherry pick” the Medicare patients they take in and the type of services they will provide to Medicare patients? And does it matter if you have a Medicare Advantage plan or original Medicare and a Medicare supplement plan (where you can choose your doctor and hospital)?

The maximum amount any hospital could gain or lose was 1 percent of its regular Medicare payments.

For nearly two-thirds of the hospitals, the changes are less than a quarter of a percent, KHN said. Still, for hospitals with a high number of Medicare patients, hundreds of thousands of dollars are at stake.

The caps will rise to 2 percent over the next four years.

The maximum Medicare hospital bonus (or penalty) now is 1%, rising to 2%. But will it stop there or keep climbing?

If a hospital can game the system in hopes of qualifying for the maximum bonus, how many really sick patients with expected poor outcomes do they have to reject in order to earn the highest kickback from Medicare?

This is about more than money. It is about your health and quality of care. Georgia Medicare Plans is concerned about your health and the health of your wallet. Save money by comparing your existing Medigap rates with an instant GA Medigap quote.

How Do Georgia Hospitals Compare to Other States?

How does quality of care in Georgia stack up against other states?

Georgia Health News reveals

Some other Southern states had higher percentages of hospitals getting bonuses than did Georgia. In both North Carolina and South Carolina, 69 percent of hospitals are receiving the extra payments; Alabama, 64 percent; Florida, 57 percent; Kentucky, 53 percent.

Louisiana equaled Georgia’s 51 percent performance. Performing worse than Georgia were hospitals in Tennessee, at 40 percent, and Mississippi, at 39 percent.

Does this mean you can receive better care in other states?

Not necessarily, but these are figures that cannot be ignored.

Budgeting for Healthcare Costs

It is impossible for most retirees to cover the OOP (out of pocket) cost of health care without insurance.

Original Medicare pays 80% of your outpatient health care costs but the remaining 20% can be staggering.

Most retirees worry about paying hospital bills, but the MAJORITY of medical claims are OUTPATIENT.

Original Medicare does not cap your OOP health care costs. You pay until you get better, run out of money or die.

A cost effective Medicare supplement plan from Georgia Medicare Plans can give you piece of mind.

Shop and compare rates. Get your personalized Medigap rate report. Invest 10 minutes to call and ask us ANY Medicare question. Either you like what you hear or you don’t.

I will stay on the phone with you as long as you have questions. Never a sales pitch. No obligation to buy.

I call this my offer you can’t refuse.

Medicare COBRA Trap

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COBRA Medicare money trap

The Medicare COBRA trap is catching many seniors off guard and costing them delays in Part B coverage and penalties. Due to the recession, more Americans are working longer including past age 65. Some of those opted for COBRA (for different reasons) once employment stopped. I suspect many did so because of a non-working spouse under age 65 even though they were 65 or older.

COBRA Trap Means Late Enrollment Penalty

Even though COBRA has been around for over a quarter of a century, most people do not understand their COBRA rights. They believe COBRA is only available to family members if the former employee ALSO elects COBRA.

In reality, every covered family member have COBRA rights separate from the other. A non-working spouse or child can exercise their own COBRA rights even if the former employee does not.

Bill Bregar Was Bitten

This confusion plus the recession has led to problems when the age 65+ COBRA participant enrolls in Medicare once COBRA ends.

Under current law, working Americans with employer health coverage can postpone signing up for Medicare until after 65. When they retire, accept a buyout or are laid off, they then get an eight-month special enrollment period to sign up for Medicare Part B (which covers doctors visits and other outpatient services) immediately and without penalty.

But many people in these circumstances are able to extend their employer coverage for a year or two under a 1986 law known as COBRA, which is what Bregar did.

What they may not realize is that waiting until their COBRA coverage expires to enroll in Part B disqualifies them from the eight-month grace period. Instead, they must wait to sign up during open enrollment, from Jan. 1 to March 31 each year. And coverage won’t begin until the following July. They also get hit with a late penalty, an extra charge added permanently to their Part B premiums.

This COBRA trap will catch you off guard if you do not know about it, triggering an LEP (late enrollment penalty) from Medicare.

Avoid the Part B Penalty

You can avoid the penalty and delay by enrolling in Medicare Part A and B when you turn 65.

the crucial Medicare regulation barring a special enrollment period for people whose COBRA coverage is ending is rarely publicized. It is not mentioned in the Department of Labor’s guidance for people considering COBRA. The penalty mentioned briefly on page 18 of the official handbook, “Medicare & You 2020” . However, there is not any warning of a delay in Part B coverage. It isn’t included in Social Security’s general website information on enrolling in Medicare or in its frequently-asked-questions section. But you can enter “COBRA” into the site’s search engine leads to an explanation.

This is a real problem that was never anticipated when COBRA laws were written.

Avoid the Medicare COBRA Trap

When you are ready for Medicare, let the experts at Georgia Medicare Plans help you find affordable Medicare supplement rates to fit your budget. Compare plans and rates from Anthem, Mutual of Omaha, Humana and others instantly online. GA Medigap rates.

https://www.gamedigaprates.com/

#MedicareCOBRATrap #PartBLateEnrollmentPenalty #GAMedicarePlans

Your Medicare Questions Answered

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Your Medicare questions answered by GA Medicare expert Bob Vineyard. Where do you go for answers? Why does no one want to help until you BUY something? Can anyone help?

How about the Georgia SHIP staffed by volunteers? Or calling Medicare direct? Who has all the answers when you want to know who has the best Medigap plan? Is there a Medicare for Dummies, or Medicare 101 site?

Medicare questions answered

Where is the best place to find answers to ALL my questions without getting a SALES PITCH?

Medicare Questions Answered

Why Search the Web When All Your Answers are Here?

Georgia Medicare expert Bob Vineyard spends hours every day searching so you don’t have to. Don’t you have something better to do with your time?

Even after working in health insurance for over 45 years Bob still is learning new things. He spends times reading information on Medicare, health and senior fitness so you don’t have to. Bob also participates in several consumer forums, answering the tough questions.

Bob is dedicated to helping YOU understand how Medicare works. He also makes sure you find the right plan that fits YOUR needs and budget.

Welcome to the NO SELLING ZONE!

Your Medicare Questions Answered by Volunteers

Why not talk to a SHIP counselor? They aren’t selling ANYTHING. It’s a non-profit organization. What could be wrong with that?

Counselors are volunteers with limited training. Kind of a Medicare 101 crash course for dummies. It would be rare to find someone who has had years of experience working with Medicare beneficiaries and insurance carriers.

The belief by some is, because they are volunteers working for a taxpayer funded, non-profit organization, their advice must be unbiased. Your Medicare questions answered by someone who truly wants to help . . . and that is true.

Motivation to help is good, but how accurate and useful is that advice? Will you have a counselor dedicated to help you . . . or will you be handed off to the first available person? Is personal service meaningful to you, or are you willing to accept advice from just anyone?

Going to the Source

Call 1-800-MEDICARE 24/7 except federal holidays. Operators are standing by . . . and most of them speak English.

When you ask questions about Medicare their computer “listens” to the conversation and an answer pops up on the rep’s screen. They will read the answer to you and assume you understand.

AI (Artificial Intelligence) is great but it is no substitute for the real thing. Remember HAL 9000 from Space Odyssey. “I’m sorry Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that”.

While 800-MEDICARE is good, just like volunteer organizations, they don’t understand the insurance side of Medicare.

Medicare is easy.

Insurance is hard.

One Source for Answers to Your Medicare Questions.

Bob makes life simple. He explains how Medicare works using words that you understand.

For example. Many folks get confused about Medicare supplement and Medigap. What are they? How are they different.

Bob’s answer is this.

Medicare supplement and Medigap are interchangeable terms. Like Kleenex and tissue.

How easy is that?

Where can you get your Medicare questions answered?

Call or email. Give us 10 minutes. Ask any question. Never any pressure to buy. You decide if the information is helpful or not. No selling ever!

This is my offer you can’t refuse.

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