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Medicare Choices Made Easy
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Good Samaritan Medical Practice Association Gives Seniors a World of Options
From Our Advertisers DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - Deciding what to do about Medicare coverage can be confusing. Do you join a Senior HMO where the cost to you is much lower or do you stay with regular Medicare where your choices are greater?
If you are a senior in Downtown Los Angeles, that choice can be much easier for you. As a patient enrolled in Good Samaritan Medical Practice Association you have access to the world-class physicians at Good Samaritan Hospital and still have all the financial advantages of the senior HMO. You can consult with leading cardiologists, surgeons and other specialist physicians all for a very modest office visit charge.
"When you are enrolled with a group like Good Samaritan Medical Practice Association (GSMPA) there really is no advantage to staying with regular Medicare," says Kathryn Hegstrom, administrator for the group. "There are so many great physicians in GSMPA that senior patients never experience the lack of choice that may exist in a suburban medical group. There are over 1,500 specialists on GSMPA's panel of physicians, all of them operating successfully in private practice."
Another great advantage patients have with GSMPA is that they can choose between the many senior HMO plans and still have access to all of the GSMPA specialists and primary care physicians.
"Patients can join Secure Horizons, Blue Cross Senior Secure, Health Net Seniority Plus, SCAN, Aetna Golden Medicare or Blue Shield 65+," Hegstrom says. "They can select whichever plan is right for them. No matter which plan they choose, their primary care physicians will stay the same and they still have access to all of the premier specialists and the services of Good Samaritan Hospital."
Andrew Leeka, president and CEO of Good Samaritan Hospital, agrees. "When a hospital can partner with physicians of the quality as those in GSMPA, extraordinary things can happen," he says. "Patients recognize that the success of any treatment is directly related to the skill of the physician and the technology and care provided by the hospital. For decades now, this partnership has saved and improved the lives of tens of thousands of patients from Southern California and throughout the world."
There have been many changes to Medicare in the last few years, including a "lock-in" period in 2009.
"A lock-in period means that seniors have between Jan. 1 and March 31 to decide whether they want to stay in a senior HMO plan," explains Hegstrom. "Enrollment for 2009 begins Nov. 1, so it is a good time to consider joining a senior HMO Plan. Co-pays have been reduced or even eliminated in some cases and senior HMO members may not be required to pay a premium other than the Part B premium. Part D benefits make coverage even broader, with lower co-pays and better prescription benefits than with regular Medicare coverage."
Low-income seniors who qualify for both Medi-Cal and Medicare do not have a lock-in period. In these special needs plans, seniors will have access to benefits such as unlimited brand and generic prescriptions, free transportation, health club memberships, 24-hour nurse hotlines, and co-pays as low as $2 for primary care visits, $5 for specialist consults and $50 for hospital stays regardless of the number of days admitted.
It is easy to enroll in a senior HMO and it is even easier to choose a great physician from the many listed under Good Samaritan Medical Practice Association in your HMO physician directory. Don't be confused by the many Medicare options. Let GSMPA help you get the health care you need and the benefits you deserve.
Seniors interested in joining any of the senior HMOs or selecting a GSMPA physician should visit gsmpa.net or call (562) 766-2000 ext. 262 and speak with Marianne.
page 14, 10/27/2008
© Los Angeles Downtown News. Reprinting items retrieved from the archives are for personal use only. They may not be reproduced or retransmitted without permission of the Los Angeles Downtown News. If you would like to re-distribute anything from the Los Angeles Downtown News Archives, please call our permissions department at (213) 481-1448.
From Our Advertisers DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - Deciding what to do about Medicare coverage can be confusing. Do you join a Senior HMO where the cost to you is much lower or do you stay with regular Medicare where your choices are greater?
If you are a senior in Downtown Los Angeles, that choice can be much easier for you. As a patient enrolled in Good Samaritan Medical Practice Association you have access to the world-class physicians at Good Samaritan Hospital and still have all the financial advantages of the senior HMO. You can consult with leading cardiologists, surgeons and other specialist physicians all for a very modest office visit charge.
"When you are enrolled with a group like Good Samaritan Medical Practice Association (GSMPA) there really is no advantage to staying with regular Medicare," says Kathryn Hegstrom, administrator for the group. "There are so many great physicians in GSMPA that senior patients never experience the lack of choice that may exist in a suburban medical group. There are over 1,500 specialists on GSMPA's panel of physicians, all of them operating successfully in private practice."
Another great advantage patients have with GSMPA is that they can choose between the many senior HMO plans and still have access to all of the GSMPA specialists and primary care physicians.
"Patients can join Secure Horizons, Blue Cross Senior Secure, Health Net Seniority Plus, SCAN, Aetna Golden Medicare or Blue Shield 65+," Hegstrom says. "They can select whichever plan is right for them. No matter which plan they choose, their primary care physicians will stay the same and they still have access to all of the premier specialists and the services of Good Samaritan Hospital."
Andrew Leeka, president and CEO of Good Samaritan Hospital, agrees. "When a hospital can partner with physicians of the quality as those in GSMPA, extraordinary things can happen," he says. "Patients recognize that the success of any treatment is directly related to the skill of the physician and the technology and care provided by the hospital. For decades now, this partnership has saved and improved the lives of tens of thousands of patients from Southern California and throughout the world."
There have been many changes to Medicare in the last few years, including a "lock-in" period in 2009.
"A lock-in period means that seniors have between Jan. 1 and March 31 to decide whether they want to stay in a senior HMO plan," explains Hegstrom. "Enrollment for 2009 begins Nov. 1, so it is a good time to consider joining a senior HMO Plan. Co-pays have been reduced or even eliminated in some cases and senior HMO members may not be required to pay a premium other than the Part B premium. Part D benefits make coverage even broader, with lower co-pays and better prescription benefits than with regular Medicare coverage."
Low-income seniors who qualify for both Medi-Cal and Medicare do not have a lock-in period. In these special needs plans, seniors will have access to benefits such as unlimited brand and generic prescriptions, free transportation, health club memberships, 24-hour nurse hotlines, and co-pays as low as $2 for primary care visits, $5 for specialist consults and $50 for hospital stays regardless of the number of days admitted.
It is easy to enroll in a senior HMO and it is even easier to choose a great physician from the many listed under Good Samaritan Medical Practice Association in your HMO physician directory. Don't be confused by the many Medicare options. Let GSMPA help you get the health care you need and the benefits you deserve.
Seniors interested in joining any of the senior HMOs or selecting a GSMPA physician should visit gsmpa.net or call (562) 766-2000 ext. 262 and speak with Marianne.
page 14, 10/27/2008
© Los Angeles Downtown News. Reprinting items retrieved from the archives are for personal use only. They may not be reproduced or retransmitted without permission of the Los Angeles Downtown News. If you would like to re-distribute anything from the Los Angeles Downtown News Archives, please call our permissions department at (213) 481-1448.
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