Latest Medicare Update April 30, 2007 at 11:30 PM

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April 30, 2007

Blue Cross plans will pay $128M to doctors (The Business


Blue Cross plans will pay $128M to doctors (The Business Journal of Jacksonville)
A group of 23 Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, including the one in Florida, will pay $128 million to 900,000 doctors nationwide to resolve a class-action lawsuit.

Blue Cross settles lawsuit (Charlotte Business Journal)
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Inc. has settled a class-action lawsuit with the state medical society.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation Makes $25,000 Donation to Holly, Colorado to Benefit Residents Impacted or ... (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
On Saturday, John Martie, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Colorado, teamed up with former Colorado Governor, Roy Romer, and Colorado Governor, Bill Ritter, in Holly, Colorado, to present a $25,000 donation to the town's Victim's Assistance Fund.

Blue Cross settles class-action lawsuit (bizjournals.com via Yahoo! Finance)
The Tennessee Medical Association and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee have resolved a five-year class action lawsuit over billing and other business practices.

Medicare Part D - Verispan Joins with The Amundsen Group to Offer Medicare Part


Verispan Joins with The Amundsen Group to Offer Medicare Part D Coverage Gap Analysis and Critical Insights - ... (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
YARDLEY, Pa. and LEXINGTON, Mass.----Verispan, the leading provider of de-identified patient data, and The Amundsen Group, one of the foremost experts in Medicare Part D, today announced an agreement to jointly offer Impact of the Coverage Gap on Patient Behavior, an unprecedented service that provides a fact-based, comprehensive picture of Medicare Part D patient behavior in 2006.

Remarks By the President After Meeting on Medicare Part D (RedNova)
Roosevelt Room 1:40 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. Today I have been discussing the Medicare Part D reforms that Congress passed and I signed, and that Mike Leavitt and a lot of other people helped to implement.

Medicare Part D - Verispan Joins With The Amundsen Group to Offer Medicare Part


Verispan Joins With The Amundsen Group to Offer Medicare Part D Coverage Gap Analysis and Critical Insights - ... (RedNova)
Verispan, the leading provider of de-identified

Wilson Health Information finds MemberHealth(TM)'s CCRxsm National Medicare Part D Plan rated #1 in Customer ... (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
Wilson Health Information, LLC, one of the nation's leading consumer insights firms, named MemberHealth's CCRx National Medicare Part D plan the highest-rated Medicare Part D plan in overall customer satisfaction.

Preventive Services Start Now!


Preventive Services Start Now!

Medicare Part D - Verispan Joins with The Amundsen Group to Offer Medicare Part


Verispan Joins with The Amundsen Group to Offer Medicare Part D Coverage Gap Analysis and Critical Insights - ... (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
YARDLEY, Pa. and LEXINGTON, Mass.----Verispan, the leading provider of de-identified patient data, and The Amundsen Group, one of the foremost experts in Medicare Part D, today announced an agreement to jointly offer Impact of the Coverage Gap on Patient Behavior, an unprecedented service that provides a fact-based, comprehensive picture of Medicare Part D patient behavior in 2006.

Remarks By the President After Meeting on Medicare Part D (RedNova)
Roosevelt Room 1:40 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. Today I have been discussing the Medicare Part D reforms that Congress passed and I signed, and that Mike Leavitt and a lot of other people helped to implement.

Medicare Advantage Plans save money (Texarkana Gazette)
Medicare Advantage Plans are health plans approved by Medicare but administered by private companies. They are sometimes called Part C. Either Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part C, be assured, you are still in Medicare.

Meeting to address Medicare (The Barre Montpelier Times Argus)
BARRE -- How to correct the problems in Medicare Part D will be the topic of a Saturday talk by the grassroots director of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. ... - By Mel Huff Times Argus Staff

Medicare Part D - Medicare gets attention; Congress pondering shaky entitlements (The Times-Reporter) WASHINGTON


Medicare gets attention; Congress pondering shaky entitlements (The Times-Reporter)
WASHINGTON - For at least a decade, the trustees who monitor Social Security and Medicare have called for changes to ensure the programs long-term financial health.

Verispan Joins With The Amundsen Group to Offer Medicare Part D Coverage Gap Analysis and Critical Insights - ... (RedNova)
Verispan, the leading provider of de-identified

Blue Cross and Blue Shield to pay out $128M (The


Blue Cross and Blue Shield to pay out $128M (The Herald-Sun)
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina was among 23 Blues plans across the country that Friday announced a $128 million settlement of a class action lawsuit brought by 900,000 physicians regarding the insurers' business practices.

Blue Cross plans reach settlement in physician lawsuit (Fairview Observer)
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is among 23 Blue Cross and Blue Shield health plans nationwide to reach a settlement with doctors in a class-action lawsuit over physician pay filed in Miami.

Many Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield employees brought sneakers to work (WDBJ 7 Roanoke)
Are you finding it's hard to fit exercise into your busy schedule? Why not take your sneakers to work? That's what dozens of Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield employees did this afternoon. They were taking part in the American Heart Association's new program called "Start Walking at Work Day."

April 29, 2007

Medicare Part D - Private Plans Would Gain in SeniorCare Lapse: Medicare Part D


Private Plans Would Gain in SeniorCare Lapse: Medicare Part D Insurers May Reap $100 Million in Revenue (RedNova)
By Guy Boulton, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Apr. 29--The end of the SeniorCare program this year would mean a small windfall for the 23 companies that sell Medicare prescription drug plans in Wisconsin.

Advocates push for universal prescription plan (The Barre Montpelier Times Argus)
BARRE -- It's only four months into the year, and Colchester resident Evelyn Davis is already perched at the edge of the infamous Medicare Part D "doughnut hole." ... - By PATRICK JOY Staff Writer

Medicare gets attention; Congress pondering shaky entitlements (The Times-Reporter)
WASHINGTON - For at least a decade, the trustees who monitor Social Security and Medicare have called for changes to ensure the programs long-term financial health.

Verispan Joins With The Amundsen Group to Offer Medicare Part D Coverage Gap Analysis and Critical Insights - ... (RedNova)
Verispan, the leading provider of de-identified

U.S. health agency stages bird flu war game (Reuters via


U.S. health agency stages bird flu war game (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
A leading U.S. health agency staged a war game this week to test its response to one of the worst health emergencies it could imagine -- an outbreak of avian flu on American soil.

Vets converge on city zoo to discuss bird flu (The Scotsman)
A TEAM of vets from zoos and wildlife attractions around the world will be discussing how to deal with the threat of bird flu when they meet at Edinburgh Zoo next month.

Coalition: 'Zero dollars' invites bird flu outbreak (Florida Today)
A coalition concerned about bird-flu preparedness urged Florida legislators to provide $37 million in funds to buy and stockpile antiviral drugs that might save lives. Not to do so, one of them said, "is very poor preventive medicine."

Sanitary chief expects bird flu in Russia, watchdog allays fears (Russian Information Agency Novosti)
MOSCOW, April 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's chief sanitary doctor said Friday outbreaks of bird flu could occur in Siberia and European Russia this summer, while Russia's agriculture watchdog responded that they were fully prepared to deal with it.

Learn About Life Insurance; Part 5: What is a beneficiary?


Learn About Life Insurance; Part 5: What is a beneficiary? (Rockland Village Soup)
WEST ROCKPORT (April 29): What is a beneficiary? A beneficiary is the person or entity you name in a life insurance policy to receive the death benefit.

[Editorial] Listing Life Insurance Companies on the Stock Market (donga.com)
The Financial Supervisory Service approved draft regulations on the listing of companies yesterday that allow life insurance companies to be listed on the stock market.

Check that life insurance deal (Arizona Daily Star)
Millions of Americans have life insurance policies that they would like to sell, getting some cash now and either taking out a smaller policy or using the proceeds elsewhere.

Medicare Part D - Verispan Joins With The Amundsen Group to Offer Medicare Part


Verispan Joins With The Amundsen Group to Offer Medicare Part D Coverage Gap Analysis and Critical Insights - ... (RedNova)
Verispan, the leading provider of de-identified

Wilson Health Information finds MemberHealth(TM)'s CCRxsm National Medicare Part D Plan rated #1 in Customer ... (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
Wilson Health Information, LLC, one of the nation's leading consumer insights firms, named MemberHealth's CCRx National Medicare Part D plan the highest-rated Medicare Part D plan in overall customer satisfaction.

Remarks By the President After Meeting on Medicare Part D (RedNova)
Roosevelt Room 1:40 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. Today I have been discussing the Medicare Part D reforms that Congress passed and I signed, and that Mike Leavitt and a lot of other people helped to implement.

Verispan Joins with The Amundsen Group to Offer Medicare Part D Coverage Gap Analysis and Critical Insights - ... (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
YARDLEY, Pa. and LEXINGTON, Mass.----Verispan, the leading provider of de-identified patient data, and The Amundsen Group, one of the foremost experts in Medicare Part D, today announced an agreement to jointly offer Impact of the Coverage Gap on Patient Behavior, an unprecedented service that provides a fact-based, comprehensive picture of Medicare Part D patient behavior in 2006.

Medicare Part D - Medicare Advantage Plans save money (Texarkana Gazette) Medicare Advantage Plans


Medicare Advantage Plans save money (Texarkana Gazette)
Medicare Advantage Plans are health plans approved by Medicare but administered by private companies. They are sometimes called Part C. Either Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part C, be assured, you are still in Medicare.

Elma woman praises Part D (The Buffalo News)
WASHINGTON A retired seamstress from Elma on Monday told President Bush at a showcase meeting in the White House that the Medicare Part D program has saved her thousands of dollars.

Blue Cross gets rate hike OK (Detroit Free Press) Michigan's


Blue Cross gets rate hike OK (Detroit Free Press)
Michigan's insurance commissioner has granted 10% to 19% rate increases to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for seven insurance policies purchased by people with no workplace coverage. The increases take effect June 1 and run through May 31, 2008. Five individual Blue Cross plans that offer the fewest benefits are not affected.

Health calendar (Seattle Times)
A weekly list of classes, workshops and other health-related events.

Today in Tallahassee (The Palm Beach Post)
The Florida Senate approved a bill that would replace the state's touch-screen voting machines with paper trail-producing optical scanners and moves the presidential primary from March to Jan. 29.

FOLLOWING IS A PARTIAL LIST (York Daily Record)
Apr 20, 2007 of events and other news of note in the area. To add information to this list, e-mail Weekly Record editor Joan Concilio at jconcilio@ydr.com or call 771-2084.

Alamo Rent A Car Selected as AARP Travel Provider (U.S.


Alamo Rent A Car Selected as AARP Travel Provider (U.S. Newswire via Yahoo! News)
AARP Services and Alamo Rent A Car announced a preferred provider relationship allowing AARP's 38 million members to receive up to a 25 percent discount on car rental rates valid at every location in the Alamo network. Additional member benefits such as special insurance coverage for both the driver and one free companion driver are included in the already low members' only price.

Medicare Hospital Trust Fund Will Run Out Of Money By 2019, Trustees Say (Medical News Today)
The Medicare hospital trust fund will become insolvent by 2019, one year later than estimated last year, according to a report released on Monday by the board of trustees for Medicare and Social Security, the Washington Post reports (Lee, Washington Post, 4/24). The board includes four Bush administration officials and two public trustees (Alonso-Zaldivar, Los Angeles Times, 4/24). [click link ...

Assisted living: Retirees enjoying comfort, convenience and long-term care (Rapid City Journal)
RAPID CITY When midnight bouts of insomnia strike, Ardyce Meisenholder likes to slip into her athletic shoes and take mile-long walks to make herself tired enough to sleep.

Medicare Part D - Medicare Drug Plan Overhaul Stalls In Senate (The Morning News)


Medicare Drug Plan Overhaul Stalls In Senate (The Morning News)
WASHINGTON -- A Senate setback on a bill to require the government to negotiate Medicare Part D drug costs with pharmaceutical companies failed to stop Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and others Wednesday from trumpeting the proposal.

Verispan Joins with The Amundsen Group to Offer Medicare Part D Coverage Gap Analysis and Critical Insights - ... (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
YARDLEY, Pa. and LEXINGTON, Mass.----Verispan, the leading provider of de-identified patient data, and The Amundsen Group, one of the foremost experts in Medicare Part D, today announced an agreement to jointly offer Impact of the Coverage Gap on Patient Behavior, an unprecedented service that provides a fact-based, comprehensive picture of Medicare Part D patient behavior in 2006.

Medicare Advantage Plans save money (Texarkana Gazette)
Medicare Advantage Plans are health plans approved by Medicare but administered by private companies. They are sometimes called Part C. Either Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part C, be assured, you are still in Medicare.

Settlement reached in Blue Cross dispute with N.C. docs (BizJournals)


Settlement reached in Blue Cross dispute with N.C. docs (BizJournals)
The North Carolina Medical Society and 19 other state medical societies said Friday they have reached a settlement with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and more than 80 BCBS state plans, including Chapel Hill-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, in a class-action lawsuit over billing and other business practices.

Twenty-Three Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans and the BCBSA Reach Agreement With Physicians (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
A group of 23 Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association announced today that they have reached an agreement with representatives of a nationwide class of physicians to resolve a class action lawsuit filed in federal court in Miami in 2003.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield to pay out $128M (The Herald-Sun)
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina was among 23 Blues plans across the country that Friday announced a $128 million settlement of a class action lawsuit brought by 900,000 physicians regarding the insurers' business practices.

Blue Cross plans reach settlement in physician lawsuit (The Tennessean)
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is among 23 Blue Cross and Blue Shield health plans nationwide to reach a settlement with doctors in a class-action lawsuit over physician pay filed in Miami. The lawsuit accused the Blue plans of scheming to avoid paying doctors in full. Under the terms of the settlement, which also involved the national Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, the 23 Blue plans ...

April 28, 2007

Medicare Part D - President Bush Participates in a Meeting on Medicare Part D


President Bush Participates in a Meeting on Medicare Part D (White House News)
President Bush on Monday said, " This reform of Medicare has been a great success. Most importantly, it's been a great success for our senior citizens. The cost of the prescription drug plan has been less than anticipated. The individual stories about people saving money and getting better health care has warmed my heart."

Verispan Joins with The Amundsen Group to Offer Medicare Part D Coverage Gap Analysis and Critical Insights - ... (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
YARDLEY, Pa. and LEXINGTON, Mass.----Verispan, the leading provider of de-identified patient data, and The Amundsen Group, one of the foremost experts in Medicare Part D, today announced an agreement to jointly offer Impact of the Coverage Gap on Patient Behavior, an unprecedented service that provides a fact-based, comprehensive picture of Medicare Part D patient behavior in 2006.

Medicare Part D - Medicare Advantage Plans save money (Texarkana Gazette) Medicare Advantage Plans


Medicare Advantage Plans save money (Texarkana Gazette)
Medicare Advantage Plans are health plans approved by Medicare but administered by private companies. They are sometimes called Part C. Either Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part C, be assured, you are still in Medicare.

Medicare Drug Plan Overhaul Stalls In Senate (The Morning News)
WASHINGTON -- A Senate setback on a bill to require the government to negotiate Medicare Part D drug costs with pharmaceutical companies failed to stop Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and others Wednesday from trumpeting the proposal.

Wilson Health Information finds MemberHealth(TM)'s CCRxsm National Medicare Part D Plan rated #1 in Customer ... (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
Wilson Health Information, LLC, one of the nation's leading consumer insights firms, named MemberHealth's CCRx National Medicare Part D plan the highest-rated Medicare Part D plan in overall customer satisfaction.

What are the Medicare Premiums and Coinsurance Rates for 2007?


What are the Medicare Premiums and Coinsurance Rates for 2007?

Medicare Part D - Elma woman praises Part D (The Buffalo News) WASHINGTON


Elma woman praises Part D (The Buffalo News)
WASHINGTON A retired seamstress from Elma on Monday told President Bush at a showcase meeting in the White House that the Medicare Part D program has saved her thousands of dollars.

Remarks By the President After Meeting on Medicare Part D (RedNova)
Roosevelt Room 1:40 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. Today I have been discussing the Medicare Part D reforms that Congress passed and I signed, and that Mike Leavitt and a lot of other people helped to implement.

Medicare Advantage Plans save money (Texarkana Gazette)
Medicare Advantage Plans are health plans approved by Medicare but administered by private companies. They are sometimes called Part C. Either Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part C, be assured, you are still in Medicare.

Meeting to address Medicare (The Barre Montpelier Times Argus)
BARRE -- How to correct the problems in Medicare Part D will be the topic of a Saturday talk by the grassroots director of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. ... - By Mel Huff Times Argus Staff

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