January 24, 2022

It’s Medicare Open Enrollment Time: Is Your Plan Still Working for You?

Every year Medicare gives beneficiaries a window of opportunity to shop around and determine if their current Medicare plan is still the best one for them. During Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period, which runs from October 15 to December 7, beneficiaries can freely enroll in or switch plans. During the seven-week period, you can return to traditional Medicare (Parts A and B) from a

Medicaid

Medicare Eligibility After Hospital Observation Status

Hospitals must now give Medicare recipients notice when they are in the hospital under observation status. The notice requirement is part of a law enacted in 2015 but that just took effect. Signed by President Obama in August 2015, the law was intended to prevent surprises after a Medicare beneficiary spends days in a hospital under “observation” and is then

Medicaid

February 2, 2011

Medicaid Long Term Basics

We have many people who contact us about financing long term care. Sometimes there has been a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or another long term debilitating disease, and sometimes there has been a fall or a sudden illness that puts the family in crisis mode. In any case, it is not unusual to have to undo and restructure some preliminary Medicaid

Medicaid

December 7, 2010

Budget Cuts and Medical Care

In a press release dated November 23, 2010, Dr. Alfredo Vigil, Secretary of Health for New Mexico, announced an 8% cut to the annual budgets of the 3,700 recipients of Developmental Disabilities Waiver Program. There will also be a 5% rate reduction for all providers in this program. Most significantly, Dr. Vigil stated that no more families will be admitted

Medicaid

September 28, 2010

September 23, 2010, A Big Day!

In 2009, a woman came to our office who had been referred to us by a divorce attorney. She was a mother whose 6 year old son was born with a chromosomal defect. The family is an honest hard working family. Dad worked in construction and mom had recently taken a part time job as a home health aide. Neither

Medicaid