Medicare

Open enrollment for Medicare begins October 15. The options can be very confusing. There's Medicare Part A, B, C, and D. What do they all mean? Who qualifies for each and how much does it cost? Is enrollment optional or required if you are over 65? What about Medicare scams?

Monday, October 30, 2017, at 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m. On this program we discuss the Beneficiary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Program for Alaska. These programs help Medicare beneficiaries exercise their right to high-quality health care. LISTEN HERE

Medicare is starting to reward hospitals that deliver better quality health care. Paying more for improved care is a simple idea. And it's transforming how hospitals are doing their work in a lot of little ways. At Providence hospital in Anchorage, a few of those small changes have added up to big results.

Alaskan seniors are seeing changes to Medicare under the federal Affordable Care Act. Dates for enrolling in prescription drug plans or changing existing plans are now earlier. What else do Alaskans need to know about changes to Medicare? What is a Medical Home? How is the shortage of doctors who will take Medicare patients in Alaska being addressed? KSKA & APRN: Tuesday 10/11 at 10:00 am

The federal health care reform law is beginning to affect Medicare. Under the Affordable Care Act, enrollment in the Medicare prescription drug plans, known as Part D, is earlier.

Most Anchorage health clinics refuse new Medicare beneficiaries, but last Friday a new clinic opened in Anchorage that only takes Medicare clients.

Medicare eligible-elders would be able to negotiate private contracts with doctors under new legislation proposed by Senator Lisa Murkowski.Murkowski says Senate Bill 1042 called the Medicare Patient Empowerment Act would allow patients to see any physician they choose, even if that doctor has opted out of taking Medicare patients.

Alaska’s future role in Missile Defense, the treatment of our veterans, the federal role in oil and gas development and coastal zone management are among the issues Senator Mark Begich has been working on.

Alaska’s Senator Lisa Murkowski was one of only five Republicans to vote against a GOP budget plan to privatize Medicare. It failed last night on a vote of 40 to 57, with no Democratic support. The plan, crafted by Wisconsin Republican Representative Paul Ryan, previously passed the House on GOP support.

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