Medicare - Health Site Guide

www.medicare.org

Here’s the large-type, official U.S. government website for people with Medicare. Prescription drug coverage – how to choose a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, and plans in your state that match your drug list (the Formulary Finder) – is a special emphasis now owing to drug coverage changes instituted in late 2005 and early 2006. Much of the content is offered in Spanish and Chinese as well as in English.

My.Medicare.gov, a link from this site, allows Medicare beneficiaries to access personal information regarding their benefits and services. You’ll need your Medicare identification number to register for this site.

The Medicare Billing link offers instructions on how to file a claim, and detect and report fraud, along with claim forms and a guide on how to read your Medicare Summary Notice. The Medicare Appeals link will tell you everything you need to know about complaining or challenging a decision regarding your coverage.

Clicking on Long-Term Care takes you to an interactive Long-Term Care Planning Tool. Based on your responses to the survey, the tool provides you with statistics that estimate the likelihood that you will need long-term care, and what it will cost if you do. Clicking on Plan Choices takes you to information on optional programs, such as Medigap, employer coverage and PACE, an optional benefit that offers the frail elderly an alternative to traditional nursing home care.

The site also offers a comprehensive list of practical helps: you can quickly change your address with Medicare; get a replacement Medicare card; learn about and enroll in Medicaid, the program for low-income people, including information on state programs; and search a large-type glossary.

Medicare information is also tucked under the Stay Healthy link, which lists several preventive medicine procedures (physical exam, cardiovascular and cancer screening, shots, glaucoma screening, diabetes screening and bone mass measurements) and what Medicare covers for each. The Other Health Information sub-link provides a short list of government websites that provide general health and medicine information.

Finally, the site offers a Frequently Asked Questions link, a place to sign up for several Medicare-related newsletters, and an unusually long list of search tools. These include how to find a doctor; comparisons of hospitals, nursing homes and dialysis centers in your area; and directories of medical equipment suppliers.

Last modified: 20 Sep 2006.