The CMS or Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services makes Medicare Information available on quality of service and cost of healthcare.
The new rules proposed by the CMS make it easier to select high-quality and low-cost health care services from physicians, hospitals and other health care providers.
Under the new rules, organizations meeting certain qualifications will be given permission to access patient-protected Medicare data to produce public reports about the health care services of clinics, doctors and hospitals.
These reports will combine Medicare and Medigap Insurance claims data with private sector claims data to point out which healthcare providers give the most cost-effective and highest-quality services.
This strategy is a part of the Affordable Care Act aimed at improving health care, making people pro-active about their health, and driving down health care costs.
According to the CMS Administrator, Donald Berwick, MD, making this information available to the public will empower them to make smart decisions about their health care.
He hopes that the performance reports will increase higher-quality and cost-effective health care for millions of consumers.
Making the healthcare system more transparent, promotes healthy competition between insurance companies and health care providers and that could drive down premiums.
How Will Transparency Change Health Care? Over the years, employers and consumers have been frustrated with the limited availability of health care claims data.
Many health plans use provider performance data solely based on the health plan's own claims, which may only represent a small portion of a provider's overall performance.
Making health care claims more transparent, can broaden consumer understanding about the performance of doctors and other providers.
Imagine being able to pick your surgeon based on survival and recovery rates after his past surgeries.
Transparency can be just as important when it comes to Medicare Advantage Plans and Medigap Insurance.
Did you know that Medigap Plans are standardized by law to offer pre-set benefits? The same cannot be said about Advantage Plans, though, you'll have to scrutinize benefits, such as which medications each plan covers.
Can Transparency Help You Make The Most Of Medicare? To be sure you have the coverage you'll need requires deciphering Medicare's benefits and comparing that to your regular doctor and hospital bills.
Then, look for one of several Medicare Advantage Plans or Medigap Plans that can pick up any left-over medical expenses.
Once you've decided what additional coverage you'll need and which plan can best fill in Medicare's gaps, you'll need to research how prices compare for that plan.
There's still little transparency when it comes to how Medicare Supplement Plans are priced.
Research reveals that certain people unfortunately pay hundreds of dollars more than others for the exact same benefits.
To compare prices, check out rates from multiple insurance companies or use an online website to help you compare rates from different insurers by running quotes on multiple plans with a single quote request.
This is a free service and the quotes are accurate.
It's a quick way to narrow down the selection of various plans.
If you have a pre-existing health condition, you'll best opportunity to get coverage with low premiums comes during special open enrollment periods, such as when you turn 65.
During open enrollment, Medicare Supplement insurance rates cannot be raised based on your medical history.
In addition, Medicare Advantage Plans or MA plans are known for accepting all pre-existing health conditions except End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).
The more you learn about Medicare, Medicare Advantage Plans and Medigap Insurance, the better chance you have to get coverage that fits your situation at a low rate.
The new rules proposed by the CMS make it easier to select high-quality and low-cost health care services from physicians, hospitals and other health care providers.
Under the new rules, organizations meeting certain qualifications will be given permission to access patient-protected Medicare data to produce public reports about the health care services of clinics, doctors and hospitals.
These reports will combine Medicare and Medigap Insurance claims data with private sector claims data to point out which healthcare providers give the most cost-effective and highest-quality services.
This strategy is a part of the Affordable Care Act aimed at improving health care, making people pro-active about their health, and driving down health care costs.
According to the CMS Administrator, Donald Berwick, MD, making this information available to the public will empower them to make smart decisions about their health care.
He hopes that the performance reports will increase higher-quality and cost-effective health care for millions of consumers.
Making the healthcare system more transparent, promotes healthy competition between insurance companies and health care providers and that could drive down premiums.
How Will Transparency Change Health Care? Over the years, employers and consumers have been frustrated with the limited availability of health care claims data.
Many health plans use provider performance data solely based on the health plan's own claims, which may only represent a small portion of a provider's overall performance.
Making health care claims more transparent, can broaden consumer understanding about the performance of doctors and other providers.
Imagine being able to pick your surgeon based on survival and recovery rates after his past surgeries.
Transparency can be just as important when it comes to Medicare Advantage Plans and Medigap Insurance.
Did you know that Medigap Plans are standardized by law to offer pre-set benefits? The same cannot be said about Advantage Plans, though, you'll have to scrutinize benefits, such as which medications each plan covers.
Can Transparency Help You Make The Most Of Medicare? To be sure you have the coverage you'll need requires deciphering Medicare's benefits and comparing that to your regular doctor and hospital bills.
Then, look for one of several Medicare Advantage Plans or Medigap Plans that can pick up any left-over medical expenses.
Once you've decided what additional coverage you'll need and which plan can best fill in Medicare's gaps, you'll need to research how prices compare for that plan.
There's still little transparency when it comes to how Medicare Supplement Plans are priced.
Research reveals that certain people unfortunately pay hundreds of dollars more than others for the exact same benefits.
To compare prices, check out rates from multiple insurance companies or use an online website to help you compare rates from different insurers by running quotes on multiple plans with a single quote request.
This is a free service and the quotes are accurate.
It's a quick way to narrow down the selection of various plans.
If you have a pre-existing health condition, you'll best opportunity to get coverage with low premiums comes during special open enrollment periods, such as when you turn 65.
During open enrollment, Medicare Supplement insurance rates cannot be raised based on your medical history.
In addition, Medicare Advantage Plans or MA plans are known for accepting all pre-existing health conditions except End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).
The more you learn about Medicare, Medicare Advantage Plans and Medigap Insurance, the better chance you have to get coverage that fits your situation at a low rate.
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