Friday, September 29th, 2023
Choosing a Medicare Plan Can Be Confusing. Choosing the Wrong Plan Can Be Costly. Medicare Annual Enrollment is happening from October 15 - December 7. It's the time of year when people already enrolled in Medicare can make changes and choice for the upcoming year. During this time, beneficiaries can: Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan, or vice versa Make choices about Part D Prescription plans During this time ...
Continue ReadingTuesday, August 29th, 2023
Authorities are tracking companies that are billing Medicare for Covid test kits they are sending to Medicare beneficiaries who didn't order them. At $80 to $200 apiece, the claims add up to thousands of dollars paid by taxpayers. Case in point: The home of a deceased woman in Arkansas received 2-3 test kits per week until the trustee of her estate began looking into it and alerted the government. A Wisconsin woman ...
Continue ReadingWednesday, June 7th, 2023
During the Covid pandemic, the federal government ordered states to keep people enrolled in Medicaid, the state-run health insurance program for low-income residents. That meant that recipients did not have to reapply for benefits each year. Now that ‘continuous enrollment’ in Medicaid and Healthy Michigan (the Medicaid program for people 19 to 64 years old) is ending this month many seniors may need to reapply for Medicaid benefits, or perhaps even apply ...
Continue ReadingThursday, May 26th, 2022
Medicare Savings Programs Can Help with Deductibles, Co-insurance and Co-pays Medicare, the federal health insurance program, is guaranteed to all Americans 65 and older, and while it’s low-cost, it’s not free. Medicare comes with copays, coinsurance and premiums that are based on your income. But you may qualify for a Medicare Savings Program. How Can You Find Out If You Qualify? If you qualify for programs that cover your copays, coinsurance or premiums, you ...
Continue ReadingWednesday, March 2nd, 2022
A new federal court ruling is good news for Medicare recipients. If Medicare declines to pay for your rehabilitation in a nursing home following a hospital stay on the grounds that you were “on observation” as opposed to admitted to the hospital, you can appeal. "Observation" Status Can Hurt Financially If you were in a hospital bed but were not technically admitted, or your status was changed to “observation,” which puts you in ...
Continue ReadingWednesday, January 12th, 2022
The window is open for Medicare beneficiaries to sign up for a different Medicare Advantage plan or switch back to Original Medicare (Parts A and B) and select a prescription drug plan (Part D). The enrollment period goes through March 31. The Area Agency on Aging 1-B’s Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP) has certified counselors who can help you explore your options and enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan that works ...
Continue ReadingTuesday, September 28th, 2021
George Wojdacki calls himself the “piece of cheese at the end of the maze,” the guy you reach after bumping into walls trying to understand your Medicare benefits. Wojdacki, a certified Medicare counselor who volunteers with the Area Agency on Aging 1-B’s Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP), has saved a lot of money for a lot of seniors who would otherwise ignore notices of changes in their benefits. Last year, he and ...
Continue ReadingWednesday, June 4th, 2014
[caption id="attachment_8126" align="alignleft" width="235"] George Wojdacki shows off the check he received on behalf of the Area Agency on Aging 1-B as the winner of the Claude Pepper Award.[/caption] Southfield, Mich. (June 4, 2014). George Wojdacki, a volunteer Outreach Specialist with the Area Agency on Aging-1-B Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP), was presented with the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michgan Claude Pepper Award for Senior Volunteer on June 3, 2014 at Older Michiganians Day on the lawn ...
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AAA 1-B Central Office
29100 Northwestern Hwy.,
Suite 400
Southfield, MI 48034
TTY: (800) 649-3777 (Michigan Relay)
Fax: (248) 262-9971
