| Medicare Information Links |
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Medicare Information for Caregivers Now Available on NIH Senior Health Website (updated May 13, 2009)
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If you're caring for an older friend or family member, you've probably had questions about Medicare, the federal health insurance program for adults 65 and older and people under age 65 with disabilities. While you may know that Medicare helps pay for medical and prescription drug costs, you may want to become more familiar with the Medicare benefits and resources available to your friend or loved one. An easy-to-read overview, "Medicare Basics for Caregivers," is now available at NIHSeniorHealth.gov, the Web site for older adults from the National Institutes of Health. This brief, yet comprehensive introduction to Medicare gives caregivers the basics and helps them find answers to their questions.
The topic was developed with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services based on its booklet, Medicare Basics: A Guide for Families and Friends of People with Medicare. "Knowing how Medicare works can help a person make better financial decisions about care," says Dr. Marie Bernard, deputy director of the National Institute on Aging. "A caregiver who is knowledgeable about Medicare can be an informed advocate for an older loved one who needs to access the benefits the program provides. The new 'Medicare Basics for Caregivers' topic on NIHSeniorHealth is an excellent source of concise, easy-to-understand information that will benefit both caregivers and their loved ones."
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| National Institutes of Health |
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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.
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| National Institute on Aging |
| The NIA leads the federal effort supporting and conducting research on aging and the medical, social and behavioral issues of older people. For more information on research and aging, go to http://www.nia.nih.gov |
| National Library of Medicine |
| World's largest library of the health sciences and collects, organizes and makes available biomedical science information to scientists, health professionals and the public. For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.nlm.nih.gov. |
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| Medicare Home page |
Contains all currently available information about Medicare and its benefits.
www.medicare.gov/ |
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| Medicare Claims, Appeals Information, and Medicare Summary Notices |
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Includes information on how to file a Medicare claim, how to recognize, avoid, and prevent Medicare fraud, provides a short explanation as to how to file an appeal or grievance if you have a complaint and contains a listing of Medicare appeals forms that you can view and print.
www.medicare.gov/Basics/ClaimsOverview.asp
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| Medicare's Dialysis Facility Compare |
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This section of the Medicare site gives detailed information about Medicare approved dialysis facilities.
www.medicare.gov/Dialysis/Home.asp
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| Medicare Eligibility, Enrollment, & Premiums |
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Medicare is a Health Insurance Program for people 65 years of age and older, some disabled people under 65 years of age, and people with End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure treated with dialysis or a transplant).
www.medicare.gov/MedicareEligibility/home.asp
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| Medicare's Helpful Contacts Page |
The phone numbers section of the Medicare site allows you to access phone numbers to help you to get answers to specific Medicare related questions that you may have or to contact a specific organization.
www.medicare.gov/Contacts/Home.asp |
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| Medicare's Nursing Home Compare |
The primary purpose of this tool is to provide detailed information about the past performance of every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home in the country.
www.medicare.gov/NHCompare/Home.asp |
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| Medicare's Nursing Homes Overview |
The purpose of this section of the Medicare site is to provide visitors with information relating to Medicaid and Medicare certified nursing homes throughout the United States. It includes information on payment and patient rights, and a nursing home checklist which will help you evaluate the nursing homes that you visit.
www.medicare.gov/Nursing/Overview.asp |
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| Medicare Plan Choices |
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Medicare offers you different ways to get your Medicare benefits. These different options are called Medicare health plans. One option is the Original Medicare Plan. Some private companies contract with the Medicare program to offer Medicare health plans. These are called Medicare + Choice ("Medicare plus Choice") plans.
www.medicare.gov/Choices/Overview.asp
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| Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage |
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This page provides information on public and private programs that offer discounted or free medication, as well as Medicare health plans that include prescription coverage.
http://www.medicare.gov/pdphome.asp
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| Medicare Publications |
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You can view, print, or order publications online or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). The fastest way to get a publication is to use the Medicare search tool and then view and print it. If you order online or through 1-800-MEDICARE, you will receive your order within 3 weeks.
www.medicare.gov/Publications/home.asp
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| Medicare's Supplier Directory |
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This section of the Medicare site provides names, addresses, and contact information for suppliers that provide services or products under the Medicare program.
http://www.medicare.gov/Supplier/Home.asp
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| Your Medicare Coverage |
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This section of the Medicare site provides information about your health care benefits in the Original Medicare plan (sometimes referred to as "fee-for-service").
www.medicare.gov/Coverage/Home.asp
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*Also see: Module 7~ Legal and Financial Planning - Medicare (on this site)
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