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Health and Long Term Care Health Care Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), created in 2003, are designed to help individuals save for future qualified medical and retirement health expenses on a tax free basis. A United States Department of The Treasury site. Another looked and under used tax advantaged savings plans is something called a Flexible Spending Account (FSA). Put simply, FSAs let people set aside pretax money from their paychecks to cover health care costs not covered by insurance. It's a complicated program and requires a lot of paperwork, but you should at least take a look. Virginia Health Information has information and data on Virginia hospitals, health insurance, nursing and retirement facilities and other health care providers. A very detailed and rewarding site. Virginia Insurance Counseling & Assistance Program provides help with both insurance and claims. A Virginia non-profit group offers the site Senior Navigator with extensive resources. Life and Health Insurance Foundation For Education is a non-profit organization formed by insurance groups to educate consumers. Provides straightforward basics on life and health insurance. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a highly regarded national foundation dedicated to health care issues, provides extensive information, particularly on Medicare and Medicaid. Medical Costs Record Keeping State Health Insurance Programs are federally funded state programs to help Medicare recipients sort through bills, benefit statements and Medigap claims. Family Health Budget provides a
way to organize and plan for health care costs. It also provides a means for
comparing Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), Preferred Provider
Organizations (PPOs) and High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs). A unique and
useful site. Do you find keeping up with medical expenses and insurance claims a
pain? Who doesn't? A leading personal finance software company has a well
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Quicken Medical Expense Manager Medicare Medicare.gov: The official U.S. Government site for people covered by Medicare. For information on your personal benefits register at My Medicare. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is a Federal agency whose site provides a wealth of information. Medicare Rights Center, a national non-profit consumer service organization, makes Medicare Interactive available on AARP's site. Center for Medicare Advocacy is a national non-partisan education and advocacy organization offering a wealth of information. Enrollment for Medicare Part D, the new Medicare drug plan, begins November 15 and plans go into effect January 1st. To help beneficiaries make a choice, Medicare in mid-October will unveil several new features on its site. Also, at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services you can get a state-by-state breakdown of plans. In Virginia, 22 health organizations are offering more than 60 plans in total. Part D and Me also provides assistance in considering your alternatives. MedicareDrugPlans.com is a consumer website that has information sorted by state. State Insurance Counseling Program (SHIP) offers direct assistance. The National Council on Aging offers BenefitsCheckUpRx. To determine which local plans cover the drugs you currently take, use Medicare's PlanCompare. A website provided by DestinationRx, a company that provided software for Medicare's own comparison tools became available in 2006. Finally, this tool from Medicare lists all plans available in your area with information on cost, coverage and convenience. Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia, with offices in Norfolk, 757 461-9481, or in Virginia Beach, 757 491-3997, offers free counseling and information. Two national public service organizations, National Council on Aging and the Access to Benefits Coalition are launching a service My Medicare Matters that will provide access to direct personal advice beginning in mid-January. Help is also available from Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia at 757 461-9481. Long Term Care Pending legislation may make Medicaid less effective in covering the cost of long term care. However, Congress is also considering a nationwide expansion of the Partnership for Long Term Care, a public-private program currently available in only four states. Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program for U.S. government and Postal employees, active and retired military and a few other eligible groups. Medicaid Planning: Some key facts about Medicaid and a basic explanation of Medicaid in the Commonwealth can be found here.
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