skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Ohio's milestone moment for women in government; Price growth ticked up in November as inflation progress stalls; NE public housing legal case touches on quality of life for vulnerable renters; California expert sounds alarm on avian flu's threat to humans, livestock.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Debates on presidential accountability, the death penalty, gender equality, Medicare and Social Security cuts; and Ohio's education policies highlight critical issues shaping the nation's future.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Many rural counties that voted for Trump also cast ballots against school vouchers and to protect abortion rights, Pennsylvania's Black mayors are collaborating to unite their communities and unique methods are being tried to address America's mental health crisis.

Nebraska seniors urged to review options during Medicare open enrollment

play audio
Play

Friday, October 25, 2024   

Experts are encouraging Nebraska seniors and others to review their health care needs during open enrollment season.

Medicare's open enrollment is underway through Dec. 7. Employer-sponsored plans are also in open enrollment. Advocates said it is essential to check on your current plan and compare it to others, as they often vary from year to year.

Dr. Rhonda Randall, chief medical officer and executive vice president of UnitedHealthcare Employer and Individual, said it is important to review your coverage.

"You want to consider your current benefit plans still meeting your health care needs and your budget needs and has anything changed with your plan," Randall recommended. "For example, is your doctor still in the plan? Is the medication you take still covered by the plan?"

Changes for 2025 include a Medicare Part D cap of $2,000 per year for out-of-pocket prescription drug costs, brought about as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. In 2023, almost 380,000 Nebraskans were enrolled in a Medicare plan.

Randall noted seniors should consider one of Medicare's Advantage plans, sometimes called Part C. The plans pay for many of the costs in original Medicare's 20% copay and offer other benefits not covered by the standard plan.

"Things like dental, vision and hearing," Randall outlined. "Many Medicare beneficiaries might be surprised to know that original Medicare doesn't cover most of those things, but many Medicare Advantage Plans do. I also recommend people to check for mental health coverage."

Randall also recommended websites such as JustPlainClear.com to clarify the differences between Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans. Help is also available through the Nebraska State Health Insurance Assistance Program.

Disclosure: UnitedHealthcare contributes to our fund for reporting on Health Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
David Bintz' brother, Robert Bintz, was also released from prison this year and was represented by the Great North Innocence Project. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

The Wisconsin Innocence Project is ending the year with some key victories including helping with the release of two men who each spent decades in pri…


Social Issues

play sound

Missouri has stepped up to fight childhood hunger by providing food aid over the summer for kids who rely on school meals for nutrition. The U.S…

Social Issues

play sound

The public housing agency serving Nebraska's largest city faces legal action amid claims of poor living conditions for a tenant with disabilities…


Health and Wellness

play sound

Indianapolis is expanding its innovative Clinician-Led Community Response program, offering Hoosiers a new approach to handling mental health crises…

In 2021, Black people owned less than 2% of companies within the $18 billion cannabis industry, according to a report by Leafly. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Worker-owned cannabis cooperatives in Rhode Island are striving to help those affected by the war on drugs. State law mandates at least six retail …

Environment

play sound

Christmas, it turns out, is for the birds, at least for those that will be counted this year in the National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count…

Environment

play sound

A small turtle made popular in the "Kung Fu Panda" movies could soon be added to the endangered species list. Iowa wildlife advocates are working to …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021