Working with a Medicare health insurance company is important if you’re serious about living a healthy lifestyle and making future life insurance plans. If you are unsure about the ins and outs of Medicare, as it can often feel complicated, consult with an experienced Medicare health insurance company.

One of the major benefits of Medicare has been its premium costs and it looks like they are to remain stable for 2017.

“Medicare Advantage and the prescription drug benefit continue to be a great option for seniors and people living with disabilities,” said Andy Slavic, acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). “Medicare enrollees will continue to have access to predictable premiums and high quality care.”

As the premiums stabilize going into 2017, the more optimistic side of the industry is expecting that monthly premiums will actually decrease and will benefit people much more. According to HomeCare, the average monthly premium will decrease from 2016’s average of $32.59 to $31.40 in 2017, which is a 4% decrease.

Also in Medicare news, according to The HCD, a new Medicare initiative is being tested out in a few states, with Illinois being the main focus.

The new program will better determine what services a patient should be receiving in regards to their overall home care. Many people are in favor of the program, stating that it can potentially save the government millions of dollars on unnecessary services, but some see it as government intervening too much into the healthcare system.

The program, which started in Illinois in August, is called the “Pre-Claim Review Demonstration Project.”

“As the first state in the U.S. to be subject to a novel Medicare demonstration project, physicians across Illinois, who know best that Medicare home health would clinically benefit their patients, no longer have the final say in prescribing post-acute and chronic care management services that have deemed medically necessary for their patients,” said Sheila Guither. “Instead, a government Medicare Contractor makes the final call. It’s a move that Medicare claims will save money by reducing health care fraud.”

We’ll have to wait and see what will become of this new initiative, but if you want to learn more for yourself, get in touch with a Medicare health insurance company.