Medicare

Ask Medicare Caregiver Initiative

Provides information, tools and materials to assist the caregiver and their loved ones in making informed health care decisions.
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CMS Initiative to Help Caregivers

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched Ask Medicare, to help family caregivers access valuable health care information, services and resources.

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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Regional Offices

Contacts for beneficiaries, health care providers, state and local governments as well as the general public on questions relating to Medicare or Medicaid.
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Choosing a Medigap Policy - A Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare

Explains Medigap (Medicare Supplemental Insurance) policies, what they cover and how to purchase them. Also available in Spanish. This link opens a PDF document.

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Extra Help with Prescription Drug Costs for Medicare Beneficiaries

More Medicare beneficiaries will soon qualify for help paying for their prescription drugs. People on Medicare may be eligible to pay no more than $2.50 for generic drugs and $6.30 for each brand name drug thanks to changes to Medicare's Low-Income Subsidy Program (also called "Extra Help") that take effect this year. Changes in the law will make it easier for Medicare beneficiaries to qualify for "Extra Help" by changing the way income and assets are counted in 2010. The Social Security Administration will no longer count life insurance policies as a resource. Also, help received from family and friends to pay for household expenses like food, mortgage, rent and utilities will no longer count as income.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Medicaid & Medicare

Answers to commonly-asked questions from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

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Guide to Understanding Healthcare Reform for People with Disabilities

The United Spinal Association and the National Spinal Cord Injury Association have issued a guide on healthcare and insurance reforms that explains how they improve the lives of people with disabilities. The Impact of Health Care Reform on People with Disabilities has information about insurance market reforms; mandatory health plan coverage provisions; home- and community-based services; Medicare outpatient therapy caps and Medicaid eligibility requirements; and the new standards that ensure medical equipment in doctors' offices and other medical facilities are accessible. For more information on this subject read Health Reform for Americans with Disabilities in PDF format.

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Help With Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs

You may be able to get extra help to pay for the monthly premiums, annual deductibles and co-payments related to the Medicare Prescription Drug program. However, you must be enrolled in a plan to get this extra help. If you prefer not to complete this application online there are other ways to apply.

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Hospital Compare

This tool provides information on how well hospitals care for all their adult patients relating to certain conditions or procedures. This information will help you compare the quality of care hospitals provide.
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How Does Work Affect My Medicare and/or Medicaid?

Information on how working may impact you if you receive Medicare or Medicaid.
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Information Tool Gives Consumers More Control Over Their Own Health Care

HealthCare.gov lets consumers take control of their health care by connecting them to information about quality, affordable health care coverage. HealthCare.gov is a database of health coverage options--from Medicare to the Pre-Existing Conditions Insurance Plan, and information from more than 1,000 private insurance plans. HealthCare.gov answers questions that relate to people with disabilities and health care, and also has information about insurance plans and community services in every state. Take a video tour of this website.

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Insurance & Medicare

Information from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center to help people with disabilities and their family members understand government health care benefit programs.

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Medicare & The New Health Care Law - What it Means for You

Medicare beneficiaries will soon receive information in the mail about the immediate benefits they may see from the new the Affordable Care Act. The first benefit that several million Medicare beneficiaries will receive is a one-time check for $250, if they enter the Part D donut hole and are not eligible for Medicare Extra Help. The donut hole, or coverage gap, is the period in the prescription drug benefit in which a beneficiary pays 100 percent of the cost of their drugs until they hit the catastrophic coverage. Next year, all beneficiaries who enter the gap will get a 50 percent discount for covered brand name Part D drugs. Also beginning next year, Medicare beneficiaries will get preventive care services like colorectal cancer screening and mammograms without cost-sharing, in addition to an annual wellness visit. A fact sheet about Medicare and the new health care law is available in English and Spanish.

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Medicare & You 2010

This official federal government handbook on Medicare contains important information about Medicare costs; What Medicare covers; Health and prescription drug plans; Your Medicare rights; and Health information technology. This link opens a PDF document.
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Medicare - Stay Healthy

Consumer-oriented health news and information on new Medicare preventive benefits.
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Medicare Basics for Caregivers

From the National Institutes of Health Senior Health website, this section has basic information about Medicare, as well as information about managing medical conditions, prescription drug coverage and long-term care.

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Medicare Basics: A Guide for Families & Friends of People with Medicare

Provides information related to the health and care of a person with Medicare, including planning for future health care decisions, navigating Medicare, health care choices and billing. This link opens a PDF document.
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Medicare Coverage of Mental Health Services

A discussion of Medicare coverage for hospitalization, partial hospitalization, outpatient services and home health services.
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Medicare Expands Coverage for Treating Facial Lipodystrophy Syndrome in People Living with HIV/AIDS

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it will cover facial injections for Medicare beneficiaries who experience symptoms of depression due to the stigmatizing appearance of severely hollowed cheeks resulting from the drug treatment for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The injections included in this coverage are "fillers" that have been approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Data show that these injections can improve patient self-image, relieve symptoms of depression, and may lead to improved compliance with anti-HIV treatment.
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Medicare Modernization Act (MMA)

Information regarding implementation of MMA benefits and reforms. Reforms under the MMA include more affordable health care, prescription drug coverage to all people with Medicare, expanded health plan options, improved health care access for rural Americans and preventive care services.
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Medicare Part D Low Income Subsidy

Provides information about eligibility for financial assistance with paying Part D premiums, deductibles and copayments. This link opens a Word document.
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Medicare Personal Plan Finder

Provides a list of Medicare health plan choices in the geographic area you specify, along with benefit descriptions and other information to help you choose the plan that is best for you.
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Medicare Savings Programs

Information about special Medicaid programs for certain eligible Medicare beneficiaries who are low income. Coverage may help pay for all or part of the Medicare premiums, deductibles and coinsurance. This link opens a Word document.
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Medicare for Individuals with Disabilities Who Work

After premium-free Medicare coverage ends due to going back to work, some individuals who have returned to work may buy continued Medicare coverage, as long as they are still medically disabled. Learn more about Medicare eligibility and the kind of Medicare coverage you can buy after going back to work.

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Medigap Policies

Information regarding Medigap policies - health insurance sold by private insurance companies to fill the "gaps" in Original Medicare Plan coverage.
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National Center for Benefits Outreach & Enrollment

Helps organizations enroll seniors and younger adults with disabilities with limited means into the benefits programs for which they are eligible so that they can remain healthy and improve the quality of their lives.
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National Medicare Education Program

Information about Medicare and Medicare Plus Choice Plans.
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Navigating Medicare & Medicaid: Resource Guides for People with Disabilities, Their Families & Their Advocates

Guides developed by the Kaiser Family Foundation explain the role of Medicare and Medicaid for the roughly 20 million children, adults and seniors with disabilities.

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Nursing Home Compare

Provides detailed information on health plans, nursing homes, Medigap policies, contacts and Medicare.

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Social Security Administration's (SSA) Medicare Information

Includes general information on Medicare and related resources for working beneficiaries with disabilities.
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State Health Insurance Programs (SHIP)

Links to State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIP) in every state and several territories. SHIP counselors are available to provide free one-on-one help with Medicare questions or problems.
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Summary of Coverage Provisions in the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act and the Health Care & Education Reconciliation Act of 2010

This fact sheet from the Kaiser Family Foundation explains some of the main health coverage provisions of the recently signed health care legislation. Changes include the fact that most individuals will be required to have health insurance beginning in 2014; Individuals who do not have access to affordable employer coverage will be able to purchase coverage through a Health Insurance Exchange, Health insurers will not be allowed to deny coverage to people for any reason, including health status; and Medicaid will be expanded to 133% of the federal poverty level for all individuals under age 65. This eliminates a limitation in the program that prohibits most adults without dependent children from enrolling in Medicaid. This link opens a PDF document.

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Your Medicare Card

If your Medicare card is lost, stolen or damaged, you can ask for a new one by phone or online.
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