Medicare Monitor

Medicare Monitor

The Palm Beach Post's veteran Washington correspondent, Larry Lipman, tracks policy makers and interest groups who are shaping the future of the federal health insurance program for the elderly.

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Medicare is the federal health care system that covers about 36 million people age 65 and older, plus 7 million disabled. It has four parts:

Part A Covers inpatient hospital care as well as nursing home, home health and hospice care. Nearly all elderly and disabled Americans qualify for Part A coverage.
Financed by a 2.9 percent payroll tax divided equally between employees and employers.

Part B Covers outpatient care, doctor’s services, durable medical equipment, home health visits and preventive care. Part B coverage is voluntary, but roughly 40 million are enrolled.
Financed by beneficiary premiums and federal general revenue. Current monthly premiums are $93.50. Starting this year, individuals whose taxable income is more than $80,000 will pay a higher premium.

Part C Medicare Advantage managed care plans provide health care normally covered by Medicare Parts A and B. They may also provide some other benefits, including prescription drugs, not covered by traditional Medicare. Oart C is voluntary; about 7 million beneficiaries are enrolled.
Financed by Medicare and beneficiary premiums, which vary among plans.

Part D Medicare prescription drug plans come in two types, those that just cover prescription drugs and those that cover drugs as part of a broader managed care benefit. Part D is voluntary. About 9.2 million beneficiaries are in stand-alone drug plans and about 5.1 million are in managed care drug plans.
The plans are private and financed by Medicare and beneficiary premiums, which vary among plans.
-- Larry Lipman

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Home > Medicare Monitor > Archives > 2008 > June > 05 > Entry

New AMA ad aimed at Congress

By Larry Lipman | Thursday, June 5, 2008, 04:57 PM

As if any members of Congress were about to forget that there’s a June 30 deadline for them to act or doctors will get a 10.1 percent cut in Medicare payments, the American Medical Association has begun running an ad in inside-the-Beltway publications to remind them.

The ad’s headline says “Physicians provide state of the art care to seniors. Too bad Medicare is still 10 years behind.”

The text of the ad says: “Doctors continue to invest in technology and equipment to heighten efficiency and improve the quality of patient care. If Congress expects that to continue, it must fix the problem that’s causing Medicare physician payments to drop below 2001 rates.

“As the costs of practicing medicine go up, Medicare payments need to keep pace so that seniors have access to the best possible care.

Payments must reflect costs. It’s time for Congress to provide positive Medicare physician updates.”

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