With all that the sandwich generation has on their plate, it might be hard to take the time to review your benefits for your aging ward. However, an afternoon dedicated to your own insurance policy review, as well as those of your ward, could reap you several hundreds of dollars of profit. Or, think of it as your annual physical exam - an annoyance...a pain in the keester...momentary discomfort. However, you get a year of peace of mind. So, bend over...I mean keep reading!! :)
For low income Medicare beneficiaries, look into www.benefitscheckup.org. It is a free, comprehensive online screening site where you will find more than 2,000 public and private programs to assist you. Assistance for meds or food. Links to Older Americans Act and other public policies. If they saved 3.1 Million people over 11 Billion dollars, that's about $350 per person.
Eldercare.gov is one of many sites on the Internet that hosts information about local agencies and organizations that support seniors, their families, and their caregivers.
Finally, my company, Guardian Angels of the Suncoast, offers a bill review service. As a nurse, I can tell you that medical bills are often times miscoded, entered twice by mistake, or flat out wrong. My first suggestion is to request a fully itemized bill with the appropriate ICD-9 or CPT coding. It forces them to look at the bill again and it gives you a apples to apples comparison when speaking to your insurance company when challenging the bill.
If you'd like, I can perform this task for you. After all, don't you deserve a fair and accurate medical bill?
Happy Spring to All!
