Medicare Part C and Medicare Part D Options

The Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) sent out notices around the end of February to individuals who are enrolled in Part C or Part D plans, if the plan has earned less than three stars for three consecutive years during the recent annual enrollment period.  The plans can get ratings between 1 and 5 stars.  5 stars meaning excellent and 1 star being poor.

This notice was to alert beneficiaries to the sponsor or organization’s low rating and to inform enrollees of an opportunity to contact CMS to request a special enrollment period to move into a higher quality plan in 2015.

If you received one of these notices you may want to make a change to another plan. To make a change you should call 1-800-medicare (1-800-633-4227).   If you are having no problems with the plan and want to continue with it you may do so.  If you have questions about this you may call our office at 1-800-392-8771 or locally at 335-3331.

Premium Assistance

Please don’t forget that our office can assist you with applications for assistance paying your Part B, C or D premium if you meet the income guidelines.  If you are single and have monthly income of $1,471 or less and resources (things you own not counting your house and car) of $13,640 or less you would be eligible for assistance paying your premium for Part D.  If you are married the monthly income could be $1,991 or less with resources of $27,250 or less to get help paying the premium for Part D. 

To get help paying the premium for Medicare Part B ($104.90 per month this year) you would need to have monthly income of $1,345 or less as a single person or $1,813 or less as a married couple with resources of $7,280 or less for a single person or $10,930 or less as a married couple.

If you have questions about any of this information or need help applying for the benefits please call my office at 1-800-392-8771 or locally at 335-3331.

Age Spots

by Ruth Dockins

Medicare “Bootcamp” to be Held

Aging Matters will be holding a Medicare Bootcamp on Monday, March 23, at the Fisher Delta Research Center, 147 West State Highway T. in Portageville.  The bootcamp will start at 6 p.m. and be over by 8 p.m. Medicare bootcamps are for people who are just getting ready to be eligible for Medicare and also people who are already in Medicare but may have questions about Medicare or Medicare Supplements.

As you may know Medicare has parts: part A, part B, part C and part D; while Medicare Supplements have plans: plan a, b, c, d, f, g, k, l, m, and n. There are specific times a person can enroll into these parts and plans, it is very important not to miss a deadline for any of them.  

Aging Matters staff, Jackie Dover, Liz Yokley, Meagan Brazer and Ruth Dockins will be at the Delta Center to address these part and plans and answer question about both.  If you are interested in attending please call 1-800-392-8771 to register.  Walk-ins are welcome but we want to be sure we have enough handouts for everyone.

Age Spots

by Ruth Dockins

You are your own best advocate

Some of the following information comes from the Federal Trade Commission.  Be alert, check every bill before you pay it and always look at your credit card statements for unusual charges. Never pay a fee for something you “have won.”

Regarding bills, you are your own best advocate.  How often does a company figure out that you’ve overpaid---and refund your money?  It could happen, but you are more likely to get money back if you spot the error and point it out.  Read every statement, every time.  If something looks unfamiliar call the company and ask, always keep written records of date and time of call and to whom you spoke.

When dealing with certain companies where you might have more than one account number (i.e. hospitals) be sure that the check you write has the correct account number on it and then be sure that the check is applied to the correct account.  A person came to my office bringing with her a statement from a hospital showing that she was past due on an account on which she was making payments.  She showed me the canceled checks stating that she was not past due on the account.  When we finally got “to the bottom” of the situation the hospital had been applying her check to another of her accounts, which was now showing an over-payment, instead of applying the payment to the correct account.  Unfortunately the hospital had not made her aware of the over-payment.

Another time a person paid a doctor’s bill twice, instead of returning the second payment the doctor’s office credited her account, which would have been ok if she attended the doctor regularly but this was a doctor to whom she only went one time a year.  What would have happened to her credit if she never went back to the doctor?

The best advice regarding credit card statements is to keep all your credit card receipts and compare them to you statement when it comes.  When I returned from vacation a few years ago I was comparing my credit card receipts to the credit card statement and noticed that somewhere in another state where we had eaten lunch they had charged my credit card twice for the same amount on the same day.  It wasn’t too much, probably less than $12 but still, I needed that $12 as badly as they did.  I contacted the credit card company and the extra charge was taken off.  I don’t know if it was a mistake on the restaurant’s part or not but either way I didn’t owe it and wasn’t going to pay it.

On the back of your credit card where there is a place for your signature, instead, you should write “see I.D.”  This tells the clerk to ask for additional I.D. from you to be sure it is really you using your credit card.  When the clerk asks me to see additional I.D. I always thank them because, by doing this, they are helping protect my credit card.  When your credit card is handed back to you be sure that it is the correct card, that it didn’t accidentally get exchanged for a similar one.

If you ever get a call telling you that you have “won”  a prize, a lottery or a sweepstakes and they ask for your credit card number or bank account information do not give the information.  Never share your financial information with someone who contacts you and claims to need it.

Age Spots – by Ruth Dockins 

What’s New?

It’s a new year with new information.  We have changed our name from Southeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging to “Aging Matters.” Actually that is not really new information but changing a name is sometimes difficult to get comfortable with.  Our name changed several months ago but we are becoming better known by Aging Matters now and that is how we will be listed in the phone book. 

We have a new Executive Director, Lana Johnson, who is definitely not new to the organization but is new in the Executive Director position.  We have a new Nutrition Project Director, Rhonda Bramlett, and soon will have a new Nutritionist.

Those of us who receive a Social Security check probably have seen a new check amount, because the cost of living raise that folks on Social Security received was 1.7%, not a lot but better than nothing at all.

Many of you are getting used to a new Prescription Drug Plan (Medicare Part D) and some of you have chosen a new type of Healthcare coverage.  A Medicare Health Plan (Medicare Part C).  These Medicare Health Plans are also known as Medicare Advantage Plans.  They generally cover what Medicare covers and many times they have a prescription drug component associated with them.  If you are new to this type Healthcare coverage one thing to remember is to show the doctor and hospital your new card, this does not mean that you don’t have Medicare it simply means that you receive the benefits in a new way.

If you have chosen a Medicare Health Plan and decide you are not happy with it you have until Feb. 14 to get out of it and go back to original Medicare. Also if you gave up a Medicare Supplement to go into the Medicare Health Plan and it has been less than a year you may even be able to get your Supplement back as well.

There is a new premium for Medicare Part A, it actually went down from $426.00 a month to $407.00. Most of us don’t have to pay that premium, if we have worked and paid in to Social Security for at least 10 years over our lifetime this premium is not held out of our Social Security.  The Medicare Part B premium is paid by most of us and it has not changed from last year.  It is still $104.90 held out of our Social Security check.  There is a program, while not new, is available to help pay that premium if you meet the income requirements.  We would be happy to help you check to see if you are eligible for this assistance.

If you are not eligible for Medicare and want to check out a new healthcare insurance plan from the Health Care Market Place you have until February 15 to enroll in or change into a new plan.  Go to Healthcare.gov to check it out.

Age Spots by Ruth Dockins

ANNUAL ELECTION PERIOD FOR MEDICARE PART D ENDS DECEMBER 7:

We are nearing the end of the annual election period for Medicare Part D and it is really busy.  There are 31 stand alone prescription drug plans from which to choose.  It is my belief that everyone should check their present plan against what’s available for 2015 because there have definitely been some changes in coverage, deductibles and premium costs.  Recently I checked on a plan for someone and found that the plan they had this year had really been a good one for them but by changing plans for next year they will save about $1000.00 over the year.  Now, this doesn’t always happen but if they had not bothered to check, they would have been out a lot of money needlessly.

It’s not difficult to check your plan by going to www.medicare.gov on the computer.  You just put your information in where indicated and the program will show you a list of plans from the cheapest to the most expensive.  If you don’t have access to a computer you can call our office at 1-800-392-8771 and we can help.  The open enrollment is from October 15 through December 7.

Some of you who have Medicare may be in a Prescription Drug Plan or a Medicare Advantage Plan that is marked by Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) as a consistently low-performing plan (less than 3 stars.)  If that is the case you should have received a notice from CMS urging you to review the plans and consider enrolling in a plan with a higher rating.  This change should be made before December 7, however, if you miss that deadline and you are enrolled in a Medicare plan that has had a low rating for three years in a row you would be eligible for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) to enroll in a plan that has a rating of three or more stars.

This is a one-time SEP and is offered only to people enrolled in a consistently low performing plan.  It can only be done by CMS, If you fall into this group you should call 1-800-MEDICARE for further assistance. You cannot enroll directly through the plan or through our office if it is after December 7.

NOT ON MEDICARE YET?  You may want to check out the insurance you can get through the Marketplace.  We are going into the second year of the Affordable Care Act Insurance plan options.  The open enrollment is from November 15 through February 15.  New and more affordable plans may be available in your area this year.  Look for a letter in the mail from your health plan describing any changes and contact your plan if you have questions.

Your local Community Action Agency will be happy to assist you in choosing a plan for next year.  East Missouri Action Agency – 573-431-0103; DAEOC – 1-800-748-8320; South Central Community Action Agency – 573-785-4727.