10 Ways the Inflation Reduction Act will Impact Cancer Care
Posted August 18th, 2022
Christina Bach, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C
This week, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). While the name of this bill doesn’t sound like it has a thing to do with healthcare, there are major provisions in the bill that will greatly change the landscape of healthcare, especially in regards to prescription drug coverage for people with Medicare. […]
Medicare Advantage Plans: Read the Fine Print!
Posted November 12th, 2021
Christina Bach, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C
Medicare open enrollment for 2022 ends on December 7th. No doubt, like me, you have seen the countless commercials and even 30-minute-long infomercials from various Medicare Advantage plans touting the great benefits of these plans—like dental and vision coverage, gym memberships, meals, transportation to medical appointments—and many others. For some, Medicare Advantage plans are good […]
Coping with COVID-19: I’ve Lost My Health Insurance, Now What?
Posted June 4th, 2020
Christina Bach, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, some 40 million Americans have lost their jobs. With the loss of jobs, comes the loss of health insurance. For cancer patients, maintaining your health insurance is essential. The good news is, you probably have some options to keep your coverage or get new coverage. Keeping Your Coverage […]
Read the Fine Print: What You Need to Know About Medicare Advantage
Posted December 3rd, 2019
Christina Bach, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C
Medicare open enrollment for 2020 ends in a few short days—December 7th. No doubt, like me, you have seen the countless commercials and even 30-minute-long infomercials from various Medicare Advantage plans touting the great benefits of these plans—like dental and vision coverage, gym memberships, transportation to medical appointments—and many others. For some, Medicare Advantage plans […]
OncoLink’s Annual Health Insurance Webinar Series: Updates for 2020
Posted November 4th, 2019
Christina Bach, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C
During the month of November, we will be featuring blogs from patients, caregivers and healthcare providers that focus on the topic of financial toxicity. Knowing more about your insurance and your coverage can help manage financial toxicity. Open enrollment season for Medicare and Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) plans is now upon us! To help you […]
Beware the High Deductible Plan
Posted April 24th, 2019
Christina Bach, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C
Open enrollment is upon us at my employer. We are pretty lucky. We have excellent health benefits for a fairly nominal monthly contribution from each employee. There is no doubt the premiums (what we pay for our health insurance) have increased since I first starting working for my employer, but it is still incredibly affordable […]
Breaking News: Affordable Care Act “Struck Down” by Texas Court: Why You Shouldn’t Panic…Yet.
Posted December 17th, 2018
Christina Bach, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C
I turned on the late local news Friday night to a breaking news alert. My heart sank immediately with the news that a Texas court had struck down the Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”) calling it unconstitutional. I thought immediately of all of those nearly 20 million people that have gained health insurance since the […]
Open Enrollment News Flash for Southeastern Pennsylvania (SEPA) Residents
Posted November 8th, 2018
Christina Bach, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C
Do you live in the 5 county Philadelphia area? Are you dual enrolled with Medicare/Medicare Advantage and Medicaid (you have a yellow and blue access card)? You should have received notice from the state regarding a new program in this area called “Community HealthChoices.” Beginning in 2019, all individuals who are dual enrolled in SEPA […]
Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment: What You Need To Know For 2019
Posted November 1st, 2018
Christina Bach, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C
What is open enrollment? This is the time each year when you can make changes to your health insurance coverage-usually through the Healthcare Marketplace (healthcare.gov). When can I enroll or make changes to my plan? Open enrollment for ACA (“Obamacare”) insurance plans for the 2019 coverage year runs from November 1st– December 15thin most states. […]
Open Enrollment-Got Questions? We’ve Got Answers-Part 4
Posted December 5th, 2017
Christina Bach, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C
Open enrollment season is upon us! This is the fourth and final entry in our series of blogs summarizing the material from our #getcovered tweet chat and highlighting important facts about open enrollment. Remember that you can always get more in depth information about insurance via the OncoLink Health Insurance webinar series, available now, www.oncolink.org/insurance. All […]