The Medicare Blog

“Medicare & You” goes paperless

Love your red, white, and blue “Medicare & You” handbook? Did you ever think it would be nice to get the same information online? Knowing that the number of people 65 and over using the web has tripled in the past 10 years, we thought it would be a good idea too. And, now we’ve got some great news!

As part of the new Medicare.gov, you can go on the web and access all the same information found in your printed handbook. You can learn what’s new for the year, how Medicare works with your other insurance, get Medicare costs, and find out what Medicare covers. Even better, the handbook information on the web is updated regularly, so you can instantly find the most up-to-date Medicare information.

You can also do a lot of things on your own like replace your Medicare card, change your address, sign up or make changes to your Medicare coverage, and find out important date. All this in time for October 15 – the start of open enrollment.

Take advantage of some other great features to get just want you need:

• Search quickly for what you want and print only the pages you need, while getting the latest, up-to-date official Medicare information, including the most recent list of available plans
• Get “Medicare & You” in different formats like large print, eBook or audio
• Subscribe to get an e-mail when information is updated
• Access personalized information

And, if you’d like to trade in your printed copy for a paperless version, we’ve got you covered. You can choose to get your next “Medicare & You” handbook electronically by using the “go paperless” option. In a few simple steps, you’ll be all set. Sign up today and we’ll send you an e-mail including a link to the new online Medicare & You. It’s instant, current, and convenient.

Get yearly prostate cancer screenings

 Did you know prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men?

Help prevent prostate cancer from affecting you or the men in your life. If you’re a man who’s 50 or older, make sure you get screened for prostate cancer every 12 months.

Your Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers 2 tests to help find prostate cancer early, when treatment works best:

• Digital rectal exam—You pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the yearly Part B deductible.
• Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test—Free to all men with Medicare 50 and older (coverage for this test begins the day after your 50th birthday).

Also, whether you’re seeking coverage information on prostate cancer screenings or another item, service or test, quickly find what’s covered by visiting our newly redesigned website.

Learn more about prostate cancer by visiting the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Early detection matters: get screened every 12 months.

The New Medicare.gov: Making Medicare Information Clearer & Simpler

Did you notice something new today? Medicare.gov has a new design that makes it faster and easier for you to answer your Medicare questions.

We know Medicare.gov is your trusted source of online Medicare information.  That’s why we worked more than 2 years improving the things you use most. We did interviews and focus groups with people like you and the people who help you with your Medicare questions to help us find out what matters most to you. And, we used that feedback to make the website better.

The new Medicare.gov includes features not available before, like:

• Many ways for you to do the most common tasks, like finding out about costs, coverage, and plans, through several paths — right from the homepage
• Action-oriented labels to help you get the information you want faster
•  Design that works on mobile devices, like tablets and smartphones, so you can get information anytime, anywhere, and in the most convenient format for you

The new Medicare.gov is just one of our efforts over the past year to make it easier for you to understand your Medicare. Whether it’s putting our information in simple, straightforward language so you can understand it the first time you read it or improving the design of the “Medicare Summary Notice ” so you can better understand your Medicare claims,  we’re committed to making Medicare information clearer and simpler.

Check it out and tell us how we did—send us a tweet (use #medicaredotgov)

Protect Your Health with Covered Shots

You take your car for scheduled maintenance service just to make sure it’s fine, right? And, like most of us, you have things like car and homeowners insurance just in case you need it. Shouldn’t you take just as much precaution with yourself to make sure you stay healthy? Keeping your immune system strong is a lifelong, life-protecting job, but we’ve got you covered. Your Medicare preventive benefits include 3 shots:

1.       Flu Shots—Covered once a flu season in the fall or winter.
2.       Hepatitis B Shots—Covered for people at high or medium risk for Hepatitis B (usually a series of 3 shots).
3.       Pneumococcal Shot—Covered to help prevent pneumococcal infections (like certain types of pneumonia). Most people only need this shot once in their lifetime.

Getting your shots has never been easier. As we approach the fall season, you’ll see these shots offered in many places, such as your local pharmacy, so make sure you take advantage of them. As long as the supplier or doctor accepts assignment for giving the shot, you pay nothing.

You’re way more important than your car or house so make the time to stay healthy.

Coming August 2012 – a new Medicare.gov

We’re getting ready to unveil a redesigned Medicare.gov that will make it easier and faster for you to get answers to your Medicare questions. With the new website, you’ll find more ways to get to information you need, like costs, covered services and items, and plans that fit your needs. In the meantime, keep visiting Medicare.gov – the official online source for your Medicare information.

You’re not alone – caregivers share their stories

Even when it’s a labor of love, caring for an aged, seriously ill or disabled friend or family member can be hard, and you may wonder whether anybody can understand what you’re going through. Actually, many people can relate to your situation—did you know nearly 66 million Americans serve as caregivers? It’s difficult to wrap your mind around a number that large, which is why we created Caregiver Stories.

Meet James Patterson. James became a caregiver to his wife on New Year’s Day 2005, after she was hospitalized with complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). As with many others in his situation, he didn’t just wake up that day and choose to become a caregiver. “It’s a very long process, becoming a caregiver, and you never realize you’ve begun until you have a chance to reflect.”

According to James, being a caregiver is a big responsibility, one that can be isolating. “I think men, in particular, tend to think they can handle everything themselves and are not as comfortable asking for help,” he says. “That’s a mistake—it’s important to get help when you need it and have support structures in place.”

James suggests that caregivers take some time for themselves when and if they can. Two or 3 times a week, he has a caregiving helper come and stay with his wife for a few hours.

“These breaks are extremely important because I can get chores or errands done or go play a game of golf,” he explains. “As a caregiver, you can never really get away—you’re always there. But, if you can find time for something else and get away from your daily routine even for a short while, it can be very rejuvenating.”

Although the physical demands are great, he also notes the emotional weight that many caregivers carry. “A struggle I deal with as a caregiver is that you don’t always get a ‘thank you’ for your hard work because it becomes expected and part of the routine, which can sometimes make you frustrated or angry. However, my actions are just part of our way of our life, so ‘thank-yous’ aren’t needed or expected anymore, and when one comes along, it’s a really big deal.”

His “best advice” for new caregivers: “Be patient and be in it for the long haul. Get as much information as possible and know that people are there to support you.” James describes the resources at Ask Medicare and the National Institute on Aging as invaluable. “They cover everything from bathing to hygiene to incontinence. I’m learning something new every day. I can show the materials available to my wife and we can read them together so she can help me help her.”

If James’ story inspired you or gave you food for thought about your caregiver experience, then please consider sharing your best tips and lessons. Write about your experience and send a photo to caregiverstories@cms.hhs.gov–we may add your story to our website!

Choosing quality health care every step of the way

It can be a bit intimidating to choose a hospital for surgery or to make plans for when you’re discharged.  Whenever you or a loved one with Medicare moves from one health care setting to another, use Hospital Compare, Home Health Compare and Nursing Home Compare to help you make smooth and safe transitions.

If you need surgery, make sure you and your plan of care team find a provider that meets your needs. Hospital Compare lets you compare up to 3 hospitals in your area to see how they did with different situations, such as giving their surgery patients an antibiotic at the right time to help prevent infection. It will also tell you about patient experience, such as the percentage of patients who reported “yes,” they would definitely recommend the hospital. Next, use our discharge planning checklist to help plan your next steps.

Where will you go once you’ve left the hospital? You might need home health services if your family and friends can’t effectively care for you and you’re not able to leave home without considerable effort. Medicare covers the cost of home health care if you’re eligible and your doctor says you need them.

You can use Home Health Compare to see how often a home health agency used best practices when caring for its patients and whether its patients got better in certain important areas of care. Once you narrow down your choices, our 12-point home health agency checklist can help you choose an agency that meets your needs.

In some cases, you and your plan of care team may decide you need to go to a nursing home instead of getting home health services. Medicare doesn’t cover most nursing home costs. Under certain limited conditions, Medicare will pay some nursing home costs if you need skilled nursing or rehabilitation services. Nursing Home Compare can help you find detailed information about every Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing home in the country. Once you narrow down your choices, use our nursing home checklist to help you judge the places you call or visit.

You and your plan of care team have many important decisions to make whenever you move from a hospital to home health care or to a nursing home. Let our checklists and Hospital Compare, Home Health Compare and Nursing Home Compare help you make informed choices.