Living on a fixed income is hard, which is why many Americans depend on Medicare to help with medical expenses. But Medicare isn’t static, and it’s important to stay up to date with changes, whether you’re on Medicare yourself or care for someone on Medicare.
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Personal finance expert Suze Orman has stressed the importance of staying on top of developments with Medicare. Specifically, she says there are two important Medicare issues you need to be aware of and address as soon as possible.
Before you can take advice from financial experts as to what to do about your healthcare, it’s important to take note of what President Trump is changing with it. Here are some key takeaways from what his administration has altered or proposed when it comes to your Medicare:
The appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has resulted in the termination of 10,000 jobs from varying research programs and the streamlining of operations by consolidating 28 divisions within HHS to 15. This included the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid decreasing its workforce by approximately 300 employees, which could greatly disrupt your service.
The administration has blocked Medicare from covering obesity drugs and has moved to stop weight management treatments from being covered under the 2026 Medicare Advantage and Part D policies.
Dr. Mehmet Oz is the new administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and claims he’ll modernize Medicare, the marketplaces and Medicaid. This effort would include improving transparency to give Americans the information they need about costs, equipping healthcare providers with better information about the patients, simplifying access to life-saving treatments and identifying and eliminating fraud, waste and abuse.
Keep reading to learn more about these important developments and what Orman thinks you need to know to navigate the Medicare system.
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In a recent post on her site, Orman said that anyone enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan typically needs to get pre-authorized approval for major care costs. If an insurer denies a preauthorization request, however, that doesn’t mean it’s a hard no.
Orman cited a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) that found when patients appealed an initial denial, the insurer reversed its decision in more than 80% of cases after appeal.