Baby Boomers and Medicare

In January 2011, a demographic tsunami will hit Medicare as Baby Boomers start turning 65 and become eligible for federal health care benefits. Are there enough doctors to meet the demand for care? Is Medicare ready for the Boomers?

Kelley Weiss

Signing Up for Medicare

Health Dialogues follows Jim Thomson, a senior in Grass Valley, California, as he navigates the process of signing up for Medicare. A self-employed craftsman, Thomson believes the switch to Medicare will save him money, provided he can figure out how. Reporter: Kelley Weiss

• More: A Boomer's Guide to Medicare : AARP's how-to guide to understanding and signing up for Medicare
• More: Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program : free and objective information and counseling about Medicare
• More: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services : information on everything from billing to available health plans
• More: Kaiser Family Foundation : non-partisan information on Medicare provisions in the 2010 health care law, and much more.
• More: Medicare.gov : the official government website for Medicare

Problems with Medicare

Scott Shafer explore potential hurdles on the horizon as roughly 78 million Boomers soon become eligible for Medicare. Guest: Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group.

Evolution of Medicare

Health Dialogues host Scott Shafer hears how consumers and Medicare will both need to evolve in order to handle the influx of Boomers into the system.

Bidding for Medicare Contracts

Medicare says it has come up with a way to save billions of dollars over the next decade, by making medical suppliers compete for government contracts. This story is reported with the help of the California HealthCare Foundation Center for Health Reporting. Reporter: Lauren Whaley

• More: Medicare Testing Ground: Lower Prices, Rising Concerns : a project from the California HealthCare Foundation Center for Health Reporting
• More: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services : list of winning contract suppliers and more info on the program

Streamlining Care for Medicare/Medicaid Recipients

Health Dialogues examines new federal efforts to streamline care for this group of people eligible for coverage by both programs, referred to as "Medi-Medis." The goal is to improve services while decreasing costs. Reporter: Sarah Varney

Impending Doctor Shortages

As Boomers join Medicare, there will be fewer primary care doctors available to treat them. Health Dialogues looks at a trend that is expected to result in a shortage of roughly 44,000 primary care doctors nationwide, and up to 10,000 primary care doctors in California alone. Reporter: April Dembosky

Substance Abuse and Medicare

Health Dialogues takes an unavoidable look at the possible implications of addiction among people on Medicare. Reporter: Kenny Goldberg

Kelley Weiss

Planning for a Future on Medicare

Host Scott Shafer pays a visit to Dr. Cheryl Phillips, MD, chief medical officer at the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), a Bay Area program designed to help low-income seniors. A Boomer herself, Dr. Philips talks personally about how her mother-in-law's experience illuminated what Dr. Philips and her husband will do differently for their own retirement. She also shares what Medicare won't cover, so that people understand how they might need to plan accordingly. Guest: Dr. Cheryl Philips, MD, chief medical officer at the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).