Twenty six years ago on this day, Carol Hess founded Medical Claim Service to assist those who were confused and frustrated with their medical paperwork. Through this period, Medical Claim Service has helped hundreds of clients sort through the maze of insurance and medical papers assisting clients with understanding insurance terms, informing them of what bills to pay and explain insurance benefits.

Just a reminder that Medicare's annual enrollment period has changed this year. The dates that one can change Medicare Part D plans, Medicare Advantage Plans or switch back to traditional Medicare is October 15th through December 7th; in the past the dates were November 15th through December 31st. If you know of any senior who may need to switch plans, please remind them of this dates change.

As always, should anyone have any questions about the date changes or how this can effect someone they know, please contact our office.

Medicare has announced the changes to deductible and coinsurances for Medicare Part a. Medicare Part A covers facility type charges such as inpatient hospital stays and skilled care in a skilled nursing facility.

The inpatient hospital deductible will increase to $1,156 in 2012, an increase of $24 from 2011. It important to understand that the Part A deductible is NOT an annual deductible. Medicare uses a period of 60 days to determine patient responsibility; therefore a patient could be responsible for this deductible more than once in a year.

Good news for those enrolled in Medicare. For the first time in a number of years, the Medicare Part B deductible has decreased. This year, the annual deductible is $162; in 2012, the deductible will decrease to $140. This means that once a Medicare beneficiary has paid out $140 for medical care, Medicare will begin to pay for services at 80% of their approved amount; some services are paid at 100% by Medicare and not subject to the Part B deductible. Medicare Part B approves items such as doctors' services, outpatient services, ambulance services, etc.