Medicare and Medicaid (BenefitsLink.com)Headlines re Medicare and Medicaid, gathered by BenefitsLink.comSupreme Court to Discuss EEOC Retiree Health Plan Exemption- (Found July 5, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled a discussion for Friday, March 21, on whether it will review a federal appeals court ruling that effectively allows employers to reduce health care benefits when retirees become eligible for Medicare without facing age discrimination charges." (Workforce Management; free registration required)http://www.workforce.com/section/00/article/25/42/79.html Supreme Court Allows Retiree Benefit Cuts- (Found July 5, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The Supreme Court on Monday gave employers a green light to reduce health benefits for millions of retirees who turn 65 and become eligible for Medicare. The justices turned away a legal challenge from AARP, the nation's leading senior citizens lobby, which had contended these lower benefits for older retirees violated the federal law against age discrimination. The court's action upholds, in effect, a rule adopted last year by federal regulators that says the 'coordination of...http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-scotus25mar25,1,3568009.story Annual Social Security and Medicare Reports to Be Released Today- (Found July 5, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will be joined by members of the Social Security and Medicare boards of trustees for a news conference to discuss the release of the annual Social Security and Medicare trustees' reports at 2 p.m. EDT Tuesday, March 25." (Modern Healthcare; free registration required)http://www.modernhealthcare.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080324/REG/503678350/1027 Transitioning to Medicare Before Age Sixty-Five- (Found July 5, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Disabled workers who start receiving Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) must wait twenty-four months to qualify for Medicare. Legislation introduced in Congress would eliminate this waiting period, to guarantee that people with disabilities severe enough to qualify for SSDI will not be uninsured. We provide a longitudinal view of Medicare enrollment before age sixty-five by following a national sample of people ages 55-64. One person in six was covered by Medicare before...http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/hlthaff.27.3.w175v1 Medicare Out-of-Pocket Costs: Can Private Savings Incentives Solve the Problem- (Found July 5, 2008 ) Excerpt: "This report analyzes the extent to which incentives to save could offer significant relief of post-retirement healthcare costs. We analyze this with a particular focus on low-income participants as part of a broader analysis of families of varying income levels. We include projections of savings potential for individuals of varying income levels if they could save a modest percentage of their income tax free and receive a rate of return equivalent to that in a basket of U.S....http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=673713 Social Security Trustees to Give Annual Update- (Found July 5, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The trustees of Social Security and Medicare are certain to kick off a fierce round of debate when they release their annual assessment of the fiscal health of the government's two biggest benefit programs. . . . The new report is expected to make only small changes in the estimates made last year for when both trust funds will be depleted." (The Washington Post; free registration required)http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/25/AR2008032500306.html High Court Decision Paves Way for Two-Tiered Retiree Medical Benefits- (Found July 5, 2008 ) Excerpt: "As expected, the U.S. Supreme Court Monday declined to review a federal appeals court ruling that effectively upholds employers' ability to reduce health care benefits when retirees become eligible for Medicare, putting a final end to nearly eight years of litigation and uncertainty." (Financial Week; free registration required)http://www.financialweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080324/REG/9113544/-1/FWDailyAle... High Court Declines AARP Appeal on Retiree Health Benefits- (Found July 5, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The Supreme Court today let stand a federal policy that allows employers to reduce their health insurance expenses for retired workers once they turn 65 and qualify for Medicare." (AP via The New York Times; free registration required)http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Scotus-Retiree-Health.html?scp=12&sq=health&... Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlight: Ten Most Common Brand-Name Drugs (PDF)- (Found July 5, 2008 ) 2 pages. Excerpt: "This Medicare Part D Data Spotlight examines the variation in coverage, cost sharing and utilization management tools for the 10 prescriptions most commonly used by Medicare beneficiaries, including treatments for cholesterol, cardiovascular health, osteoporosis, dementia, gastrointestinal reflux and ulcers." (Kaiser Family Foundation)http://www.kff.org/medicare/upload/7749.pdf Medicare Finds How Hard It Is to Save Money- (Found July 5, 2008 ) Excerpt: "An ambitious three-year experiment to see whether the Medicare system could prevent expensive hospital visits for people with chronic conditions like congestive heart failure and diabetes has suggested that such an approach may cost more than it saves." (The New York Times; free registration required)http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/07/business/07medicare.html?ex=1365220800&en=f1d67f42d0... |