Seniors updated on Medicare Part B coverage

By By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
Feb. 12, 2004
Riley Hospital offered senior citizens some guidance on Medicare coverage Wednesday by way of a "Lunch &Learn" seminar at the Riley Educational Auditorium.
Deanna Cornish, who works in Riley's marketing department, said many people who are new to Medicare may not be aware that Medicare Part B will pay for preventive health services such as several cancer screenings, bone mass measurements and tests for glaucoma. It also pays for flu, pneumonia and hepatitis B shots.
Medicare Part B is medical insurance that helps pay for doctor services, outpatient hospital care, medical equipment and some medical services not covered by Medicare Part A.
Part A covers inpatient hospital service, skilled nursing care, hospice care and some home health care.
Debra Dear, beneficiary outreach coordinator with Cahaba Government Benefit Administrators, delivered the presentation. Cahaba manages benefits for Medicare Part B claims in Mississippi and is an operating division of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama.
Aside from covering preventive services, Dear talked about other Medicare Part B benefits and how beneficiaries should handle the appeal process if a claim is denied.
The Medicare health insurance program is for people 65 and older, but some younger people with disabilities are eligible for the program. For more information about Medicare Part B, visit the Web site, www.msmedicare.com.
Cornish said Dear also is scheduled to participate in the hospital's Senior Health Fair scheduled from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. March 2 at Bonita Lakes Mall.
Cornish said Riley Hospital is planning another Lunch &Learn seminar for May that will focus on the topics of stroke and cholesterol.