Open enrollment season is almost here, a bit earlier than usual! This year, Medicare beneficiaries can enroll or change their selection for Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug plans between October 15 and December 7. This is a full month earlier than in past years. Don’t wait until the last minute to evaluate your...Read More

If you have medical insurance, you’ve probably received a paper titled “Explanation of Benefits” or EOB. Typically, just below the title, it reads, “This is not a bill.” That said, there are dollar figures all over it. So if this is not a bill, what exactly is it? The EOB is exactly what it says...Read More

Medical bill errors, including those on hospital bills, can quickly become a nightmare for you, the patient, if you don’t keep on top of them. The longer an error goes uncorrected, the less likely it is that you will be able to successfully fix it. Hospitals, physicians, and other providers are likely to send your...Read More

Have you ever walked into your aging parent’s home and seen a stack of Medicare papers on the kitchen table? Has the thought crossed your mind that maybe you should have these papers come directly to you since they seem so confusing to your Mom? Is your Dad asking you which Part D drug plan...Read More

Today was a very interesting session at the Medical Billing Adovcates of America’s (www.billingadvocates.com) annual workshop. We spent the day hearing interesting speakers from the Florida Attorney General’s office talk about fraud and abuse as it applies to medical billing. We also spent time with an attorney who specializes in helping patients fight with their...Read More

I have the distinct pleasure of attending the Medical Billing Advocate of America’s (www.billadvocates.com) annual workshop this weekend in beautiful Boca Raton, Florida. Over the next few days I plan to entertain you with war stories I hear from other advocates. I understand there will be about thirty of us here for the workshop, so...Read More

As the healthcare debate rages in Washington and around the country, it seems as though a big piece is missing — long term care. How can we fully fix the problem of paying for health care if we ignore the reality that even those who have medical insurance coverage often don’t have the means to...Read More

There was a terrific article over the weekend by Carla K. Johnson of the Associated Press regarding the lack of price transparency in health care. As Ms. Johnson writes, “Finding out how much a medical procedure costs is more difficult and mysterious than buying a new car. With a new car, there’s a sticker price....Read More

Dealing with medical bills and insurance claims can often become a full-time job. The first step to making sure this doesn’t happen to you is to become familiar with all of the details of your coverage. For example, if your insurance has both in-network and out-of-network benefits, you need to understand the difference. When you...Read More