December 2006 | Medicare News

Company files suit against Blue Cross (Times Leader) WILKES-BARRE

Company files suit against Blue Cross (Times Leader)
WILKES-BARRE Employees at a specialty pharmacy that provides home care and treatment for people with bleeding disorders filed suit Thursday against their contracted insurance provider, Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Blue Hens fall to Crusaders: Two-game win streak snapped at La Salle Invitational (Delaware State News)
PHILADELPHIA - Delaware freshman guard Brian Johnson's driving layup in the final seconds rolled off the rim as the Holy Cross men's basketball team held off the Blue Hens 49-47 Saturday night at the La Salle Invitational.

Stellaris Health Network and Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield Announce Contract Agreement (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield and Stellaris Health Network hospitals announced today that they have reached an agreement on a provider contract, effective January 1, 2007. Under the agreement, Empire members will continue to have access to Stellaris Health Network hospitals as in-network providers.

Medicare Part D - SHINE helps Villagers with Medicare Part D questions (Villages Daily

SHINE helps Villagers with Medicare Part D questions (Villages Daily Sun)
THE VILLAGES Dana Brush was excited about his Medicare Part D plan. I saved a lot of money, he said, smiling.

Medicare Part D Deadline Nears (The Ledger)
LAKELAND - Time is running short for Medicare beneficiaries who want to change their Medicare Part D drug plans for 2007. The six-week period in which to change began Nov. 15 and will end at midnight Sunday.

Medicare Part D - Medicare Part D deadline approaching (ABC 13 Toledo) Open enrollment

Medicare Part D deadline approaching (ABC 13 Toledo)
Open enrollment began in October for Prescription Drug Coverage (Medicare Part D). There are just a few days left to enroll or switch your plan.

SHINE helps Villagers with Medicare Part D questions (Villages Daily Sun)
THE VILLAGES Dana Brush was excited about his Medicare Part D plan. I saved a lot of money, he said, smiling.

Medicare Part D enrollment deadline approaches (Southwest Daily News)
On December 31, 2006 the Medicare Annual Open Enrollment Period ends for the Medicare Part D plan.

CIGNA Encourages Medicare-Eligible Individuals to Enroll Online and Ring in the New Year With CIGNA's Part D Drug ... (FinanzNachrichten)
BLOOMFIELD, Conn., Dec. 28, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With just a few days left for enrollment in Medicare Part D prescription drug plans for 2007, CIGNA ( Nachrichten ) HealthCare today recommended that eligible individuals use the CIGNATURE Rx(SM) online enrollment site to save time and ensure they don't miss the Dec. 31 enrollment deadline.

Preventive Services Start Now!

Medicare Part D - Medicare D Deadline Moves Closer - video included (WEEK-TV Peoria)

Medicare D Deadline Moves Closer - video included (WEEK-TV Peoria)
Time is running out for senior citizens who have not signed up for the Medicare Part D plan.

3:50 - One day left to enroll in Medicare Part D (Pacific Daily News)
3:50 pm, Dec. 30 - Qualifying residents have until tomorrow to enroll in the Medicare Part D program via telephone. Yesterday was the last day residents were able to enroll in the drug prescription program at the Department of Public Health and Social Services Division of Senior Citizens.

Medicare Part D Signups For Seniors (WHIO-TV 7 Dayton)
DAYTON, Ohio -- Time is running out for seniors who need to sign up for Medicare Part D. Thursday Unified Health Solutions held a sign-up session at the Cassano Health Clinic on Edwin C. Moses Boulevard.

Medicare Part D deadline approaching (ABC 13 Toledo)
Open enrollment began in October for Prescription Drug Coverage (Medicare Part D). There are just a few days left to enroll or switch your plan.

UD men fall to Holy Cross (The News Journal) PHILADELPHIA

UD men fall to Holy Cross (The News Journal)
PHILADELPHIA Herb Courtney scored 24 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, but the University of Delaware men's basketball team came up short in its quest to win all three games at the La Salle Invitational as Holy Cross defeated the Blue Hens 49-47 this afternoon at Tom Gola Arena. Trailing by two with eight seconds remaining, Brian Johnson missed a turnaround layup that would have tied the game ...

Parents in bind over Blue Cross, Nemours impasse (The Florida Times-Union)
The threat of having to go outside the city for covered care is imminent, as the entities battle over compensation.

Medicare Part D - Medicare Part D enrollment deadline approaches (Southwest Daily News) On

Medicare Part D enrollment deadline approaches (Southwest Daily News)
On December 31, 2006 the Medicare Annual Open Enrollment Period ends for the Medicare Part D plan.

Medicare Part D Signups For Seniors (WHIO-TV 7 Dayton)
DAYTON, Ohio -- Time is running out for seniors who need to sign up for Medicare Part D. Thursday Unified Health Solutions held a sign-up session at the Cassano Health Clinic on Edwin C. Moses Boulevard.

Sunday is deadline for Medicare Part D (Appleton Post-Crescent)
Help is available for seniors struggling to get through their Medicare Part D paperwork before the Sunday deadline.

Medicare Part D - Medicare Part D Deadline Nears (The Ledger) LAKELAND - Time

Medicare Part D Deadline Nears (The Ledger)
LAKELAND - Time is running short for Medicare beneficiaries who want to change their Medicare Part D drug plans for 2007. The six-week period in which to change began Nov. 15 and will end at midnight Sunday.

Medicare Part D enrollment deadline approaches (Southwest Daily News)
On December 31, 2006 the Medicare Annual Open Enrollment Period ends for the Medicare Part D plan.

Medicare Part D Signups For Seniors (WHIO-TV 7 Dayton)
DAYTON, Ohio -- Time is running out for seniors who need to sign up for Medicare Part D. Thursday Unified Health Solutions held a sign-up session at the Cassano Health Clinic on Edwin C. Moses Boulevard.

Medicare D Deadline Moves Closer - video included (WEEK-TV Peoria)
Time is running out for senior citizens who have not signed up for the Medicare Part D plan.

Medicare Part D - Time is running out for seniors to register for Medicare

Time is running out for seniors to register for Medicare Part D (WDBJ 7 Roanoke)
Seniors have until December 31st to enroll for 2007 Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. Bob Grebe recently spoke with two time Super Bowl MVP Bart Starr and his wife Cherry. The couple is working to get the word out about Medicare enrollment.

Medicare Part D enrollment deadline approaches (Southwest Daily News)
On December 31, 2006 the Medicare Annual Open Enrollment Period ends for the Medicare Part D plan.

Medicare Part D Deadline Nears (The Ledger)
LAKELAND - Time is running short for Medicare beneficiaries who want to change their Medicare Part D drug plans for 2007. The six-week period in which to change began Nov. 15 and will end at midnight Sunday.

Medicare D Deadline Moves Closer - video included (WEEK-TV Peoria)
Time is running out for senior citizens who have not signed up for the Medicare Part D plan.

Togo destroys poulty out of bird-flu fears (AFP via Yahoo!

Togo destroys poulty out of bird-flu fears (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Togo has destroyed more than 3,000 frozen chickens of suspect origin for fear of introducing the devastating bird-flu virus into the west African country, officials announced.

*Four People In Vietnam Hospitalized With Suspected Bird Flu Symptoms (Nasdaq)
(RTTNews) - Four People In Vietnam Hospitalized With Suspected Bird Flu Symptoms.

Bird flu pandemic may cost $2 trillion: World Bank (The Times of India)
SINGAPORE: A severe bird flu pandemic among humans could cost the global economy up to $2 trillion, the World Bank said on Sunday, sharply raising earlier estimates.

Why Now is a Good Time to Consider Life Insurance

Why Now is a Good Time to Consider Life Insurance (Ionia Sentinel-Standard)
(ARA) - Life insurance isn't a topic that is usually brought up at dinner time. No one likes to think about their death or the death of a family member. And no one thinks it could happen to them, but the reality is it could!

Ranbaxy stepped into life insurance, asset management (Hindustan Times)
Pharmaceutical major Ranbaxy stepped into the life insurance and asset management business on Thursday, with its financial services arm Religare signing the definitive agreement for a joint venture with Aegon, a Netherlands based insurance and pension company.

Parrish, Blue Cross reach a stalemate (Florida Today) Blue Cross

Parrish, Blue Cross reach a stalemate (Florida Today)
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and Parrish Medical Center appear to have reached a stalemate, unable to reach agreement on a new contract for the new year.

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Stays Open Late to Answer Last-Minute Part D Questions (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
As the deadline to enroll in Medicare Part D approaches, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield is offering Medicare beneficiaries many ways to get answers to their last-minute questions. On Dec. 31, the insurer's downtown Pittsburgh member service center at 501 Penn Avenue Place will stay open from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m.

Medicare Part D - 3:50 - One day left to enroll in Medicare Part

3:50 - One day left to enroll in Medicare Part D (Pacific Daily News)
3:50 pm, Dec. 30 - Qualifying residents have until tomorrow to enroll in the Medicare Part D program via telephone. Yesterday was the last day residents were able to enroll in the drug prescription program at the Department of Public Health and Social Services Division of Senior Citizens.

Medicare Part D Signups For Seniors (WHIO-TV 7 Dayton)
DAYTON, Ohio -- Time is running out for seniors who need to sign up for Medicare Part D. Thursday Unified Health Solutions held a sign-up session at the Cassano Health Clinic on Edwin C. Moses Boulevard.

Medicare Part D - Sunday is deadline for Medicare Part D (Appleton Post-Crescent) Help

Sunday is deadline for Medicare Part D (Appleton Post-Crescent)
Help is available for seniors struggling to get through their Medicare Part D paperwork before the Sunday deadline.

Another Medicare Part D Deadline Looms (WCTV Tallahassee)
Jean Battuello spends about $500 a month on prescriptions. It sounds expensive, but without Medicare Part D she says she'd pay twice that. "That's a big saving so that' why I stress the word get it if you can, look for it."

POMCO opens new Southeast (Central New York Business Journal) SYRACUSE

POMCO opens new Southeast (Central New York Business Journal)
SYRACUSE Benefits administrator POMCO has entered a new geographic market after winning a contract to manage part of Tennessee s Medicare program. The deal will also add jobs at its headquarters.

Poolesville community calendar (Gazette.Net)
Items appropriate for The Gazette s Community Calendarcan be mailed to Germantown-Boyds-Poolesville Gazette, 1200 Quince Orchard Blvd., Gaithersburg, MD 20878. They can be sent by fax to 301-670-7183 or sent bye-mail to tmurphy@gazette.net. Items are due by 9 a.m. the Friday before publication.

WAVES OF SCAMS (The Biloxi Sun Herald) The scam, like

WAVES OF SCAMS (The Biloxi Sun Herald)
The scam, like many, targeted seniors' pocketbooks. An e-mail, reportedly from the Social Security Administration, began floating around last month demanding that seniors turn over bank account information, credit card information and Social Security numbers.

Clock is ticking on drug-plan decisions (The Salt Lake Tribune)
The deadline is only four days away for enrolling in or changing your Medicare prescription drug plan, and advocates are urging seniors to choose carefully. "People think if they went through the difficult process of sorting through dozens of options and enrolling last year that they're set. What they don't realize is plans are changing what they cover and what they cost," said Deane Beebe, ...

Analysis: Part D: The sequel (UPI)
WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- As many predicted, Medicare Part D's awkward rollout at the start of 2006 fast became the domain of a handful of major health-plan players, but market analysts are split on how much of a shift will occur in Part D-plan membership in the coming year.

Medicare Part D - CIGNA Encourages Medicare-Eligible Individuals to Enroll Online and Ring in

CIGNA Encourages Medicare-Eligible Individuals to Enroll Online and Ring in the New Year With CIGNA's Part D Drug ... (FinanzNachrichten)
BLOOMFIELD, Conn., Dec. 28, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With just a few days left for enrollment in Medicare Part D prescription drug plans for 2007, CIGNA ( Nachrichten ) HealthCare today recommended that eligible individuals use the CIGNATURE Rx(SM) online enrollment site to save time and ensure they don't miss the Dec. 31 enrollment deadline.

Medicare Part D Signups For Seniors (WHIO-TV 7 Dayton)
DAYTON, Ohio -- Time is running out for seniors who need to sign up for Medicare Part D. Thursday Unified Health Solutions held a sign-up session at the Cassano Health Clinic on Edwin C. Moses Boulevard.

Deadline Nears for Drug Plan Signup: Medicare Part D Open Enrollment Ends Sunday (RedNova)
By Jim Stafford, The Daily Oklahoman Dec. 27--The year-end checklist for many Oklahomans should include enrollment in the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Tuesday.

Medicare D Deadline Moves Closer (WEEK-TV Peoria)
Time is running out for senior citizens who have not signed up for the Medicare Part D plan.

Medicare Part D - Deadline Nears for Drug Plan Signup: Medicare Part D Open

Deadline Nears for Drug Plan Signup: Medicare Part D Open Enrollment Ends Sunday (RedNova)
By Jim Stafford, The Daily Oklahoman Dec. 27--The year-end checklist for many Oklahomans should include enrollment in the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Tuesday.

Medicare Part D deadline approaching (ABC 13 Toledo)
Open enrollment began in October for Prescription Drug Coverage (Medicare Part D). There are just a few days left to enroll or switch your plan.

Medicare Part D enrollment deadline approaches (Southwest Daily News)
On December 31, 2006 the Medicare Annual Open Enrollment Period ends for the Medicare Part D plan.

Medicare Prescription Drug Plans by State for 2007

Red Wings rally past Blue Jackets 7-4 (AP via Yahoo!

Red Wings rally past Blue Jackets 7-4 (AP via Yahoo! News)
Detroit coach Mike Babcock said the Red Wings decided in the third period that they simply weren't going to lose. Dan Cleary scored the winning goal with 5:19 left to complete his first career three-goal game and cap Detroit's 7-4 comeback victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.

Physicians Join Hooper, Lundy & Bookman Class Action Complaint Challenging Blue Cross Rescission Policy (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
LOS ANGELES----The national health law firm of Hooper, Lundy & Bookman, Inc. today filed a motion to intervene, requesting that the California Medical Association, on behalf of its more than 30,000 physician members, be permitted to join the class action the firm filed on behalf of California hospitals earlier this year against Blue Cross of California, Blue Cross Life and Health, and their ...

Medicare News

December 31, 2006