Latest Medicare Update June 30, 2006 at 01:35 PM

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June 30, 2006

Medicare Part D - Strategic Insights Help Pharmaceutical Companies Develop a Detailed Understanding of


Strategic Insights Help Pharmaceutical Companies Develop a Detailed Understanding of How the Introduction of Part D (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
DUBLIN, Ireland----June 30, 2006--Research and Markets has announced the addition of "Managed Markets 2007: Pharmaceutical Reimbursement Strategy, Organizational Structure and Medicare Part D " to their offering.

GASB Issues Technical Bulletin That Clarifies Reporting of Medicare Part D Payments to State and Local Governments (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
NORWALK, Conn.----June 30, 2006--The Governmental Accounting Standards Board today issued a Technical Bulletin that clarifies how state and local governmental entities should report payments received from the federal government under the retiree drug subsidy provisions of Medicare Part D.

Confused by MEDICARE PART D? If you didnt sign up, stop worrying! SAVE 30-80% (Howell Tri Town News)
Confused by MEDICARE PART D? If you didn t sign up, stop worrying! SAVE 30-80% on your medications www.rfdrugstore.com We can fill your prescription medication needs without confusion, in a cost-efficient & timely manner. FREE SHIPPING ON YOUR FIRST ORDER* *On orders for 3-month supply.

Medicare rebuffs GOP calls for faster Part D pharmacy payments (The Hill)
The Bush administration has rejected calls by Republican lawmakers to intercede on behalf of small pharmacies engaged in a payment dispute with Medicare s new prescription-drug plans.

Medicare Part D - Strategic Insights Help Pharmaceutical Companies Develop a Detailed Understanding of


Strategic Insights Help Pharmaceutical Companies Develop a Detailed Understanding of How the Introduction of Part D (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
DUBLIN, Ireland----June 30, 2006--Research and Markets has announced the addition of "Managed Markets 2007: Pharmaceutical Reimbursement Strategy, Organizational Structure and Medicare Part D " to their offering.

IRI Study: Medicare Part D Driving Changes in Where Seniors Shop (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
CHICAGO & SAN DIEGO----June 26, 2006--With well over 30 million seniors, age 65 and older, signing up for prescription insurance through Medicare Part D, the subsequent changes in shopping behaviors are significantly impacting what's in the shopping basket as well as where seniors are choosing to shop.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Contradicts Itself on Delayed Medicare D Payments to Pharmacies by PBMs (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
CMS, the agency that manages Medicare, is sending mixed messages on its intent to resolve pharmacy benefit managers' slow Medicare D payments to independent pharmacies. The Association of Community Pharmacists Congressional Network was perplexed to learn that after refusing to intervene in the matter, CMS senior advisor Larry Kocot asserted the agency has "basically remedied every complaint,

Chinese Health Ministry investigating whether man died of bird flu


Chinese Health Ministry investigating whether man died of bird flu in 2003 (KRIS-TV Corpus Christi)
BEIJING Health experts are checking to see if a man thought to have died of SARS, might really have had bird flu instead. The World Health Organization says it happened...

Bird owners warned of increased avian flu risk (u.tv)
Bird owners have been urged to make preparations to combat avian flu when the risk of an outbreak increases during the autumn migration of wild birds.

Chinese Health Ministry investigating whether man died of bird flu in 2003 (KBCI Boise)
BEIJING Health experts are checking to see if a man thought to have died of SARS, might really have had bird flu instead. The World Health Organization says it happened in 2003, two years before any human cases of the disease were reported by mainland China.

Chinese Health Ministry investigating whether man died of bird flu in 2003 (KTRE-TV East Texas)
BEIJING Health experts are checking to see if a man thought to have died of SARS, might really have had bird flu instead.

Have a Family History of Cancer? Get Life Insurance Now


Have a Family History of Cancer? Get Life Insurance Now (Kewanee Star Courier)
(ARA) - When Steve Curtis, 44, a salesman from Evergreen, Colo., started shopping around for life insurance, he braced himself for some big numbers. "My mother died of cancer when she was in her late 40s, and I was expecting the insurance companies to hold that against me," he says.

Check Old Policies for Hidden Value Before Cancelling and Other Ways Life Insurance Can Be a Valuable Financial Tool (PR Web)
Old life insurance policies can now be sold for more than cash value, while new policies offer more ways to protect family and assets. “For those over 50, life insurance can protect home and business assets, cut taxes and improve lifestyles,” says Paul Mauro, CLU ChFC, founder of Legacy Financial Advisors, Milford, MA. (PRWEB Jun 29, 2006) Trackback URL:

Applying for Life Insurance? Be Sure to Tell Them Everything! (Hope Star)
(ARA) - The last time you filled out a job application, did you maybe stretch the truth a little about your responsibilities? A lot of people do it to make a better impression on a potential employer, but you better not do it on an application for life insurance!

Life insurance Without an Exam Not a Good Idea (Wellsville Daily Reporter)
(ARA) - Are you one of those people who always gets nervous at test time? If so, you may be intrigued by the prospect of buying a life insurance policy that doesn't require a physical exam, but you could be making a huge financial mistake.

BenefitsCheckUpRX


BenefitsCheckUpRX

Blue Cross to boost safety (Detroit Free Press) Blue Cross


Blue Cross to boost safety (Detroit Free Press)
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan plans to inject $6 million into the Michigan Health & Hospital Association's Keystone Center to improve patient safety at hospitals across the state. The new money will help Michigan hospitals launch initiatives to reduce hospital-acquired infections and make visits to emergency departments safer.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation Helps Agencies Respond to Lessons of Hurricane Katrina (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
Challenges faced by the elderly, ill, poor and immigrants during Hurricane Katrina have spurred the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation to award grants to 10 agencies across the state that have particularly innovative ideas for reaching vulnerable populations before and after emergencies.

WVU, Blue Cross reach 3-year deal on care (The Huntington Herald-Dispatch)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) West Virginia University Hospitals and Mountain State Blue Cross/Blue Shield have agreed to a new contract that will ensure patients uninterrupted and affordable access through April 2009.

Medicare Part D - Onondaga County receives national recognition for Medicare (News 10 Now)


Onondaga County receives national recognition for Medicare (News 10 Now)
Onondaga County receives special national recognition. The National Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services congratulated the county for its efforts getting the information out on Part D, the new Medicare Prescription Drug Program.

Medicare Part D Help (WTHI-TV Terre Haute)
Last year, folks on Medicare received notification they would be switched to a new health plan called Medicare Part D. Folks on Medicare had 40 different plans to choose from that would best suit their healthcare needs.

Medicare rebuffs GOP calls for faster Part D pharmacy payments (The Hill)
The Bush administration has rejected calls by Republican lawmakers to intercede on behalf of small pharmacies engaged in a payment dispute with Medicare s new prescription-drug plans.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Contradicts Itself on Delayed Medicare D Payments to Pharmacies by PBMs (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
CMS, the agency that manages Medicare, is sending mixed messages on its intent to resolve pharmacy benefit managers' slow Medicare D payments to independent pharmacies. The Association of Community Pharmacists Congressional Network was perplexed to learn that after refusing to intervene in the matter, CMS senior advisor Larry Kocot asserted the agency has "basically remedied every complaint,

Medicare Part D - Onondaga County receives national recognition for Medicare (News 10 Now)


Onondaga County receives national recognition for Medicare (News 10 Now)
Onondaga County receives special national recognition. The National Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services congratulated the county for its efforts getting the information out on Part D, the new Medicare Prescription Drug Program.

IRI Study: Medicare Part D Driving Changes in Where Seniors Shop (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
CHICAGO & SAN DIEGO----June 26, 2006--With well over 30 million seniors, age 65 and older, signing up for prescription insurance through Medicare Part D, the subsequent changes in shopping behaviors are significantly impacting what's in the shopping basket as well as where seniors are choosing to shop.

Software helps employers receive Medicare subsidy. (ThomasNet)
CARDS(SM) (compliance, audit, reconciliation, and data storage) system offers consulting-based and administrative solution designed to help employers that retained their retiree prescription drug programs under Medicare Part D to receive Retiree Drug Subsidy (RDS) from Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It is supported by electronic rules engine that performs claims analysis and

June 29, 2006

Medicare Part D - Onondaga County receives national recognition for Medicare (News 10 Now)


Onondaga County receives national recognition for Medicare (News 10 Now)
Onondaga County receives special national recognition. The National Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services congratulated the county for its efforts getting the information out on Part D, the new Medicare Prescription Drug Program.

Medicare rebuffs GOP calls for faster Part D pharmacy payments (The Hill)
The Bush administration has rejected calls by Republican lawmakers to intercede on behalf of small pharmacies engaged in a payment dispute with Medicare s new prescription-drug plans.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Contradicts Itself on Delayed Medicare D Payments to Pharmacies by PBMs (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
CMS, the agency that manages Medicare, is sending mixed messages on its intent to resolve pharmacy benefit managers' slow Medicare D payments to independent pharmacies. The Association of Community Pharmacists Congressional Network was perplexed to learn that after refusing to intervene in the matter, CMS senior advisor Larry Kocot asserted the agency has "basically remedied every complaint,

Software helps employers receive Medicare subsidy. (ThomasNet)
CARDS(SM) (compliance, audit, reconciliation, and data storage) system offers consulting-based and administrative solution designed to help employers that retained their retiree prescription drug programs under Medicare Part D to receive Retiree Drug Subsidy (RDS) from Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It is supported by electronic rules engine that performs claims analysis and

Medicare Part D - We Needed Speedier Pharmacist Payments Under Medicare D - 41


We Needed Speedier Pharmacist Payments Under Medicare D - 41 Congressmen Sign Letter To Support Prompt Payments By Plan (Medical News Today)
U.S. Congressman Phil Gingrey, M.D. and 40 other Republican Members of Congress today sent a letter to CMS Administrator Mark McClellan asking for new rules requiring Medicare Part D prescription drug plan providers (PDPs) to pay pharmacist in a prompt and efficient manner. [click link for full article]

Onondaga County receives national recognition for Medicare (News 10 Now)
Onondaga County receives special national recognition. The National Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services congratulated the county for its efforts getting the information out on Part D, the new Medicare Prescription Drug Program.

Software helps employers receive Medicare subsidy. (ThomasNet)
CARDS(SM) (compliance, audit, reconciliation, and data storage) system offers consulting-based and administrative solution designed to help employers that retained their retiree prescription drug programs under Medicare Part D to receive Retiree Drug Subsidy (RDS) from Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It is supported by electronic rules engine that performs claims analysis and

Health and support (St. Petersburg Times) Blood pressure screens are


Health and support (St. Petersburg Times)
Blood pressure screens are provided free of charge (unless noted otherwise) at the following locations. To add a location, call Tom O'Brien, 527-5560.

SENIOR BRIEFS (Times Leader)
MINERS MILLS The Miners Mills Community Club met on June 20 in St. Francis Church Hall. There were 57 members in attendance. The various committees gave their respective reports. Games were played and prizes awarded.

Medigap Plans In Minnesota (Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune)
Medigap Basic: Allows flexibility in choosing doctors, but does not cover Medicare's deductibles. Riders are available that cover those deductibles as well as other services. Medigap Extended Basic: A Basic policy with extras such as immunizations, cancer screenings, foreign travel care, outpatient mental health and a $1,000 annual limit on out-of-pocket expenses.OTHER OPTIONS Medicare Select: A

State Frets Cost, Impact of New Medicaid Rule (RedNova) By


State Frets Cost, Impact of New Medicaid Rule (RedNova)
By Ralph Thomas, The Seattle Times Jun. 28--OLYMPIA -- Come Monday, the state will require an estimated 1 million Medicaid recipients to prove they are United States citizens in order to receive the government-funded health benefits for the poor.

CQ's Schuler Addresses Health Care Legislation, Drug Pricing Reports, Medical Liability Reform (Medical News Today)
Congressional Quarterly reporter Kate Schuler discusses several health-related bills approved last week by the House, two reports that indicate drug prices are increasing at rates above inflation and legislation to reform health care liability law in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ. [click link for full article]

Rising drug costs no surprise (Edwardsville Intelligencer)
Several groups released figures recently showing that the price of leading prescription drugs in the United States has gone up. Brand-name drugs rose by roughly 4 percent during the first three months of this year -- the largest jump since 2000, the senior-advocacy group AARP said.

EDITORIAL: Ties That Bind: With a Prohibition on Price Negotiations, Congress Tied the Medicare Drug Program's Hands. (RedNova)
By The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. Jun. 25--Medicare's new prescription drug benefit, for all its complexity and coverage gaps, should help some senior citizens reduce their out-of-pocket costs for the medicines they need.

June 28, 2006

Anthem expands sales of dental, life coverage (The Indianapolis Star)


Anthem expands sales of dental, life coverage (The Indianapolis Star)
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, long Indiana's top seller of individual health insurance policies, now is selling dental and life insurance.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Experienced Astonishing Growth in 2005 (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a leading provider of managed care industry intelligence, finds that North Carolina's Blue Cross and Blue Shield plan added 180,000 members in 2005, boosting its membership to over 1 million for the first time.

Kennedy slams Blue Cross (The Woonsocket Call)
WOONSOCKET -- Arriving at Landmark Medical Center for a press conference in the midst of an afternoon downpour, Congressman Patrick Kennedy on Friday aimed a torrent of criticism at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island for the insurer s treatment of Landmark.

Local Red Cross needs donations (News Virginian)
On Wednesday, Gov. Tim Kaine declared a statewide emergency due to the rampant flooding and mudslide damage caused by five consecutive days of heavy rainfall that has affected every corner of the state.

Medicare Part D - We Needed Speedier Pharmacist Payments Under Medicare D - 41


We Needed Speedier Pharmacist Payments Under Medicare D - 41 Congressmen Sign Letter To Support Prompt Payments By Plan (Medical News Today)
U.S. Congressman Phil Gingrey, M.D. and 40 other Republican Members of Congress today sent a letter to CMS Administrator Mark McClellan asking for new rules requiring Medicare Part D prescription drug plan providers (PDPs) to pay pharmacist in a prompt and efficient manner. [click link for full article]

Benefits Split for Part D Seniors: Both Savings, Additional Costs Reported From Medicare Plan (RedNova)
By Joe Goldeen, The Record, Stockton, Calif. Jun. 22--STOCKTON -- It's all in who you talk to when it comes to saving money with Medicare's new Part D prescription-drug program.

Software helps employers receive Medicare subsidy. (ThomasNet)
CARDS(SM) (compliance, audit, reconciliation, and data storage) system offers consulting-based and administrative solution designed to help employers that retained their retiree prescription drug programs under Medicare Part D to receive Retiree Drug Subsidy (RDS) from Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It is supported by electronic rules engine that performs claims analysis and

Onondaga County receives national recognition for Medicare (News 10 Now)
Onondaga County receives special national recognition. The National Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services congratulated the county for its efforts getting the information out on Part D, the new Medicare Prescription Drug Program.

Medicare Part D - Benefits Split for Part D Seniors: Both Savings, Additional Costs


Benefits Split for Part D Seniors: Both Savings, Additional Costs Reported From Medicare Plan (RedNova)
By Joe Goldeen, The Record, Stockton, Calif. Jun. 22--STOCKTON -- It's all in who you talk to when it comes to saving money with Medicare's new Part D prescription-drug program.

IRI Study: Medicare Part D Driving Changes in Where Seniors Shop (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
CHICAGO & SAN DIEGO----June 26, 2006--With well over 30 million seniors, age 65 and older, signing up for prescription insurance through Medicare Part D, the subsequent changes in shopping behaviors are significantly impacting what's in the shopping basket as well as where seniors are choosing to shop.

Want to Learn More About the New Medicare Prescription drug


Want to Learn More About the New Medicare Prescription drug Coverage?

Medicare Part D - Medicare rebuffs GOP calls for faster Part D pharmacy payments


Medicare rebuffs GOP calls for faster Part D pharmacy payments (The Hill)
The Bush administration has rejected calls by Republican lawmakers to intercede on behalf of small pharmacies engaged in a payment dispute with Medicare s new prescription-drug plans.

Changes possible for Medicare D plan (Ludington Daily News)
Many people were confused by the federal government s Medicare D prescription drug program that began Jan. 1, and they may become confused again when they receive letters saying the program is changing already.

IRI Study: Medicare Part D Driving Changes in Where Seniors Shop (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
CHICAGO & SAN DIEGO----June 26, 2006--With well over 30 million seniors, age 65 and older, signing up for prescription insurance through Medicare Part D, the subsequent changes in shopping behaviors are significantly impacting what's in the shopping basket as well as where seniors are choosing to shop.

Medicare Part D - Benefits Split for Part D Seniors: Both Savings, Additional Costs


Benefits Split for Part D Seniors: Both Savings, Additional Costs Reported From Medicare Plan (RedNova)
By Joe Goldeen, The Record, Stockton, Calif. Jun. 22--STOCKTON -- It's all in who you talk to when it comes to saving money with Medicare's new Part D prescription-drug program.

Software helps employers receive Medicare subsidy. (ThomasNet)
CARDS(SM) (compliance, audit, reconciliation, and data storage) system offers consulting-based and administrative solution designed to help employers that retained their retiree prescription drug programs under Medicare Part D to receive Retiree Drug Subsidy (RDS) from Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It is supported by electronic rules engine that performs claims analysis and

Lydia Schillo, 78, Blue Cross director (The Plain Dealer) North


Lydia Schillo, 78, Blue Cross director (The Plain Dealer)
North Royalton -- Lydia Schillo, 78, the first woman department director at Blue Cross of Northeast Ohio, died Monday in her North Royalton home from lung and heart problems.

WVU, Blue Cross reach 3-year deal on care (The Huntington Herald-Dispatch)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) West Virginia University Hospitals and Mountain State Blue Cross/Blue Shield have agreed to a new contract that will ensure patients uninterrupted and affordable access through April 2009.

June 27, 2006

Medicare Part D - Benefits Split for Part D Seniors: Both Savings, Additional Costs


Benefits Split for Part D Seniors: Both Savings, Additional Costs Reported From Medicare Plan (RedNova)
By Joe Goldeen, The Record, Stockton, Calif. Jun. 22--STOCKTON -- It's all in who you talk to when it comes to saving money with Medicare's new Part D prescription-drug program.

Walgreen Co. found a way to turn a profit on Medicare's Part D drug plan (Belleville News-Democrat)
Drugstores and their customers have grumbled plenty about the new Medicare Part D prescription-drug program -- but you won't hear any griping from Walgreen Co.

IRI Study: Medicare Part D Driving Changes in Where Seniors Shop (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
CHICAGO & SAN DIEGO----June 26, 2006--With well over 30 million seniors, age 65 and older, signing up for prescription insurance through Medicare Part D, the subsequent changes in shopping behaviors are significantly impacting what's in the shopping basket as well as where seniors are choosing to shop.

Additional information in this months archive:


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