Nearly one in every four Americans is enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid. These are the programs which provide health care for the aged, disabled, and indigent population administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (formerly HCFA, the Health Care Financing Administration). Because of its wide reach, trying to find the answers to your questions can often turn into a daunting experience.

So where does one begin the search for information for his/her needs? Here are some resources that you may find beneficial in your quest for knowledge and answers. Some of these are government resources while others are from third parties.

Medicare.gov, the Official U.S. Government Site for People with Medicare, is a good place to start. This site is written with the consumer in mind, and provides easy-to-use tools to help you find what you need. Among them are:

• Comparisons of Medicare plans, prescription drug assistance programs, nursing homes
  
• Information about enrolling, how to file a claim, benefits and premiums
  
• A detailed glossary of terms in the Medicare program
  
• Health information on various diseases and conditions
• NEW Medicare Personal Plan Finder
• NEW Medicare & You 2007 [in pdf format]

For Medicare recepients who are researching whether a specific procedure is covered, there is the Coverage Issues Manual. The manual addresses coverages issues for clinical trials, medical procedures, supplies, diagnostic services, prosthetic devices, and nursing services.

Medicare Primer
This booklet is designed to familiarize individuals with the Medicare program with an emphasis on prescription coverage and utilization. The primer contains:

1. An overview of the Medicare program, its growth over time, and its new structure under the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement & Modernization Act of 2003;
2. A description of the most significant parts of the new Medicare prescription drug law.

The Center for Health Dispute Resolution (CHDR) operates the nation's largest system for the resolution of health insurance appeals through independent external review. The organization can help persons enrolled in a Medicare + Choice (Medicare HMO) plan when the company operating the plan decides to uphold its initial determination on the need of emergent or urgent services. These are services that the beneficiary feels should be covered by Medicare or by their plan, or any services the beneficiary believes should be provided by the plan. More information is available on their Medicare page.

2004 Guide to California Medicare Options
For California residents, this guide rates every Medicare HMO in the state for overall & prescription drug value, identifies/rates several of the lowest-cost Medigap policies where Medicare HMOs are offered, and more. Even though many of the Medicare changes don't take effect until 2006, the information in this Guide will help consumers evaluate their options right now.
Produced by Consumers Union and the California HealthCare Foundation.

NeedyMeds.com is an information resource where people can learn about patient assistance programs and other programs designed to help those who can't afford their medicines. The site includes an extensive list of drugs and programs, a comparison of pharmaceutical company discount card programs, and information on how to apply for patient assistance programs.

There are also resources here that may be beneficial to you in your quest for knowledge. They can be found in the Resources section or you may go directly to them by clicking the links below.

• The Managed Care Answer Guide helps people make decisions about choosing a health care plan. It is also designed to assist consumers in understanding parts of their health care plan that may be confusing once they have made health insurance choices.
  
• Your Guide to the Appeals Process features sample appeals letters, specific strategies to use when negotiating the internal and external appeals processes and specific instructions to follow when all appeals have been exhausted.
  
• The State by State Financial Resource Guide contains information for patients seeking financial relief for a broad range of needs including housing, utilities, food, transportation to medical treatment, and children's resources.

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National Coverage Analyses
Non-Autologous Blood Derived Products for Chronic Non-Healing Wounds
Posted proposed decision memorandum.


Medicare Approved Facilities
Carotid Artery Stenting Facilities List
New facilities added.