CHA Blog

We’ve received another report of a Medicare telephone scam this morning. Please alert your clients to never give out personal information, including their Medicare and bank account numbers, over the phone to someone they don’t know.

A woman in Chico called her local HICAP/Senior Medicare Patrol office to report a call from someone claiming to be “verifying Medicare information”. The caller said he was recording the conversation and asked to verify the client’s name, address, and bank account number, including her last check number. He then said she could ask questions at the end of the call.  Yet when she tried, he hung up.

This woman then realized she made a terrible mistake by giving out her information, and immediately went to her bank to close/change accounts, and then called her local SMP office to report.

We and other SMP offices around the country have received other similar reports. Please warn your clients and again remind them to protect their personal information.

See Medicare Fraud for more info on common scams and how to detect and prevent them.

Thank you, and Merry Solstice!!

Bonnie Burns, our Training and Policy Specialist, has made many statements over the last few years related to the “camel’s nose under the tent” with regard to the creation of increased Medicare premiums for people with high incomes. And, as she predicted, those thresholds for high income seniors are likely to be set lower, in addition to the freeze on cost of living adjustments. Below is link to a story related to Congressional attempts to raise premiums for higher income beneficiaries that will ultimately also affect middle income beneficiaries. In addition, our President’s own proposals include freezing the high income threshold until 25% of beneficiaries would be subject to higher Part B and D premiums, and also include a higher Part B deductible for that same group. It’s important to note that high income with regard to workers is much, much greater than high incomes for retirees, an interesting contrast.

For example, when Obama talks about raising taxes on the rich, he means individuals making more than $200,000 a year and families above $250,000. But his health care law fixed the level for paying “high-income” Medicare premiums at the current $85,000 and above for an individual, $170,000 for families. And the new Republican plan would drop the thresholds to $80,000 for an individual and $160,000 for families.

See the article, Plan to raise Medicare premiums for upper-income retirees would affect middle class as well.

In a U.S. House of Representatives Hearing on Medicaid Fraud last week, the sub-committee heard from a victim of fraud who spent 7 years in a lawsuit against Maxim Healthcare. This man specifically mentions calling the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) fraud hot line in New Jersey. Although he eventually hired a private attorney, he and the attorney both acknowledge the good work of SMPs.

Tags: congress, hearing, medicaid fraud, medicare fraud, senior medicare patrol, SMP, testimony

Medicare’s Open Enrollment, also referred to as the Annual Election Period (AEP), ends in on Wednesday Dec 7. The AEP allows Medicare beneficiaries to join, switch or disenroll from a Medicare Advantage (MA) or Part D plan.  Some beneficiaries have more time to make choices.

Beneficiaries who are in an MA or Part D plan that is not renewing next year have until Feb 29, 2012.  “Almost 151,000 beneficiaries in California are in Medicare Advantage plans that are not renewing for 2012,” observed Elaine Wong Eakin, Executive Director of California Health Advocates.  “In addition, there are beneficiaries in Part D plans that are not renewing.  All these beneficiaries get a Special Election Period (SEP) from Dec 8, 2011 to Feb 29, 2012 to join another plan.”

If your MA or Part D plan is not renewing and you use your SEP to join another plan, your new plan will be effective the first day of the next month.  (See table below for effective date depending on when change is made.)

Even if you made a change during the AEP, you can make another change using your SEP.

But, if you do not make any change before December 31, 2011, what happens Jan 1, 2012?

• If you are in an MA plan with prescription drug coverage and it is not renewing, Original Medicare automatically becomes your medical coverage and you will have no drug coverage effective January 1, 2012 unless you qualify for Extra Help. (If you have Extra Help, Medicare will automatically enroll you into a Part D plan.)
• If you are in a Part D plan that is not renewing, you will have no prescription drug effective January 1, 2012 unless you qualify for Extra Help. (If you have Extra Help, Medicare will automatically enroll you into a Part D plan.)
• If you are in an MA plan that is not renewing and the MA plan has no prescription drug coverage, Original Medicare automatically becomes your medical coverage effective January 1, 2012.

After December 31, 2011, beneficiaries who have not made use of their SEP can still enroll in a stand-alone Part D plan or MA plan. The SEP ends February 29, 2012 or when they make a change, whichever is earlier.

Beneficiaries in non-renewing MA plans also have a guaranteed issue period to buy a Medigap.  The guaranteed issue period started when you first received the notice that your MA plan was not renewing, and ends 123 days after your Medicare Advantage plan ends (May 2, 2012).

Resources:

• See the list below for Part D plans in California that are not renewing for 2012.  The two MA plans available statewide that are not renewing are Freedom Blue Plan I and Freedom Blue Classic (both sponsored by Anthem Blue Cross.)  Other MA plans that are not renewing are county-specific.

• HICAP – Contact your local Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) to review Medicare Advantage plans available in your county, compare Part D prescription drug plans, or learn about Medigap plans in your area. Individual appointments are available with volunteer counselors.
• CHA fact sheets – For more info, please read: When Medicare Advantage Plans Terminate Coverage, Medigap Plans and Your Rights to Purchase a Medigap Policy (PDFs).
• Part D Prescription Drug Comparison Charts – Review the Part D stand-alone plans (PDF) and benchmark plans (PDF) available in California in 2012.
• Medicare Plan Finder – Visit the official Medicare website at Medicare.gov to compare Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans, find out which plans cover the drugs you’re taking with Medicare’s Formulary Finder, and enroll in a health or drug plan.

Medicare’s Open Enrollment, also referred to as the Annual Election Period (AEP) ends in less than one week on Wednesday December 7. This year’s AEP started earlier and ends earlier than previous years, and is an important time for beneficiaries to closely evaluate their current health coverage, whether or not they’d like to switch health plans, return to Original Medicare or join a health plan if they are already in Original Medicare.

Options abound and knowing one’s options and how to compare them are important for making a good choice. Here are some resources to make the most of the AEP’s  final week:

• Read our page on the AEP. It gives the details on what you can do during the AEP, has links and resources for information on health care options and your rights, and lists frequently asked questions on the topic.
• Contact your local Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) to review your current plan and plans (Medicare Advantage plans, Part D prescription drug plans and Medigap plans) in your area.  Individual appointments are available with volunteer counselors. Educational presentations may also be available in your county.
• Review our Part D plan comparison charts (PDFs): Part D stand-alone prescription drug plans and Part D benchmark plans (for people receiving the Extra Help, aka the low-income subsidy (LIS)).
• Visit Medicare.gov to compare health and drug plans, compare Medigap policies, find out which plans cover the drugs you’re taking with Medicare’s Formulary Finder, and to enroll in a health or drug plan.