SHIP News
Medicare Advantage Reassignment Notice sent to 48,000 people with Medicare
The MA Reassignment Notice (Product No. 11443) (Blue Notice) will start mailing Friday, November 28 to approximately 48,000 people with Medicare nationwide.
This notice informs people who qualify for Extra Help (Low-Income Subsidy or LIS) and whose Medicare Advantage Plan is leaving the Medicare Program that they will be reassigned to a new Medicare drug plan if they do not join a new plan on their own by December 31, 2011. Medicare beneficiaries can also elect to join another Medicare Advantage Plan or a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan prior to the December 31,2011, deadline.
The MA Reassignment Notice is three pages on blue paper, including a list of plans for each region that have premiums at or below the low-income premium subsidy amount. You may view the MA Reassignment Notice, including Medicare drug plans in each state by clicking here.
CMS Says 2012 Medicare Part B Cost-Sharing Lower Than Expected
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that the 2012 Part B premium will be $99.90, lower than the $106.60 the Medicare Trustees initially projected in May this year. The rates will be published in the November 1, 2011 Federal Register.
Monthly Part B premiums will increase slightly for the majority of people with Medicare, whose Part B premiums have been held at $96.40 since 2008 because there has been no cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase in their Social Security checks. However, because there will be a COLA increase for Social Security recipients in 2012 – average of $43.00 – the Part B premium will increase by $3.50 to $99.90 in 2012. The net gain for most seniors, after deducting the $3.50 Part B premium from the $43.00 COLA will be about $39.50.
For those individuals who did have Part B premium increases in 2010 and 2011, new enrollees and higher-income Medicare beneficiaries, the premium will actually decrease by $15.10 in 2012, from $115 to $99.90. Additionally, CMS said the Medicare Part B deductible will be $140, a decrease of $22.00 from 2011.
CMS also announced modest increases in Medicare Part A monthly premiums as well as the deductible under Part A. Medicare Part A premiums will be $451 for 2012, an increase of $1.00 from 2011, and the deductible will be $1,156 in 2011, an increase of $24 from $1,132 deductible in 2011. For Medicare Part A, which pays for inpatient hospital, skilled nursing facility, and some home health care, about 99 percent of Medicare beneficiaries do not pay a premium since they or their spouses have at least 40 quarters of Medicare-covered employment. CMS said the Medicare Part A changes are well below increases in previous years and general inflation.
Click here to be directed to the CMS fact sheet on Medicare premiums and deductibles for 2012.
NASUAD's Information Guide on Medicare's Preventive Services
June 24, 2011
NASUAD has developed an Information Guide on Medicare’s Preventive Services, including a list of covered services
Starting in 2011, in an effort to help seniors and their doctors prevent disease and identify and treat illness early, the Affordable Care Act eliminated Part B coinsurance and deductibles for the majority of preventive screenings and services. However, with just 16 percent of beneficiaries in traditional Medicare taking advantage of the free preventive health benefits, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) has launched a multi-prong, multi-media campaign to raise awareness.
The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) and Information and Referral (I&R) provide the “boots on the ground” service to Medicare beneficiaries. As trusted sources of information, SHIP and I&R services can provide Medicare beneficiaries with the tools and resources to access preventive services. The Information Guide on Medicare’s Preventive Services will help SHIP and I&R professionals learn about Medicare-covered preventive services, including information about eligibility, frequency, and whether there is beneficiary cost sharing associated with the specific service.
If you have any questions or would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact Rex O'Rourke.
National Center for Benefits Outreach Produce a New Issue Brief on Benefits Access Among Isolated Seniors
May 27, 2011
This week, NCOA’s National Center for Benefits Outreach and Enrollment released a new issue brief titled Crossing New Frontiers: Benefits Access among Isolated Seniors. This issue brief describes the ways in which social and geographical isolation pose barriers to benefits access among older adults. By examining the main characteristics of the isolated population, this brief identifies new opportunities to improve and expand the outreach and enrollment efforts targeted at this population. Previous issue briefs may be accessed by clicking here.
Spring Choosers Reminder Notice
May 26, 2011
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began mailing the Spring Choosers Reminder Notice. The Notice reminds approximately 944,000 Extra Help/Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) beneficiaries around the country that: (1) they are currently enrolled in a drug plan with a premium not fully covered by the Extra Help; and (2) they can switch to a plan with a $0 premium at any time.
The Notice is printed on both sides of tan paper. The front page is the notice. On the back of the notice is a list of Medicare Prescription Drug Plans for each region that have premiums at or below the low-income premium subsidy amount.
CMS has indicated that the mailing will be complete by May 31, 2011.CMS Guide to Consumer Mailings for 2011-2012
April 11, 2011
The color-coded Guide to Consumer Mailings from CMS has been updated for 2011-2012. The Guide to Consumer Mailings includes information about notices from CMS, Social Security, and Health Plans.
You may access the Guide to Consumer Mailings here.
Final 2012 Payment Policies for Medicare Drug and Health Plans
April 4, 2011
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued changes to Medicare Advantage (Part C) and Medicare prescription drug (Part D) plans for 2012. This year’s updates, detailed in what is known as the Rate Announcement and Call Letter, are the result of comments received regarding the Advance Notice and 2012 Call Letter (Advance Notice), published February 18. Medicare Advantage plans (MA) will increase, on average, 0.4 percent, a decrease from 1.6 percent estimated in the Advance Notice. The final quality bonus percentages are unchanged from the Advance Notice. The Part D deductible will increase from $310 to $320, the initial coverage limit from $2,840 to $2,930, and the out-of-pocket threshold from $4,550 to $4,700. To read the CMS Fact Sheet issued click here.
CMS Announces Fiscal Year 2011 Basic Grant Funding for SHIPs
April 1, 2011
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that the basic grant funding for State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) will be distributed April 1, 2011. Almost $46.5 million will be available to the 54 SHIPs in the United States and its territories for the funding year that runs from April 1, 2011, through March 31, 2012. CMS is yet to release a state-by-state table of the basic grant funding distribution.
Funds distributed through this basic grant funding should be used to support locally accessible counseling services through efforts that include, but are not limited to:
- Recruiting and training counselors in communities across the State;
- Providing support to local organizations that serve as local SHIP counseling locations;
- Conducting quality assurance and improvement initiatives in support of locally-based counselors;
- Funding systems to connect beneficiaries to local counseling assistance; and
- Providing Internet access to local counselors and generally supporting efforts to provide locally accessible counseling services.
For further information about the FY 2011 SHIP program objectives see the FY 2011 SHIP Basic Program Announcement and Grant Renewal Application.
The basic grant is the first of two rounds of funding to be distributed to SHIPs in FY 2011. Performance grants will be distributed to SHIPs in September 2011 based on their performance and accomplishments in the prior grant year.
To read the CMS Press Release click here.