One agency with three programs that advocate for seniors in long term care facilities and Medicare beneficiaries who want unbiased individual help and advocacy.
Medicare issued a memo that granted additional time for eligible fire victims to enroll or switch their Part D prescription drug plans or Advantage plans.
Typically the annual open enrollment period is Oct.15 through Dec.7 to review the new 2018 plan options and make changes.
A Special Enrollment Period was granted until March 31 for all Medicare beneficiaries and their responsible parties who were affected by the fires and live in the counties of Napa, Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino.
Some Medicare beneficiaries will receive direct contact from Medicare to conduct either a phone or in-home, in-person interview. To informed beneficiaries, this may sound like fraud. In fact, recently the CMS Regional Offices received a few inquiries from SHIPs and SMPs on behalf of beneficiaries contacted to participate.
With the new Medicare cards coming out in 2018, it’s important to do the following:
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Have you heard you’ll be getting a new Medicare card? Wondering when or why? This isn’t happening until April 2018 but scammers are already jumping on the confusion as an opportunity for fraud. That’s why we’re sharing some facts.
Effective March 8, 2017 hospitals must begin providing the Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON) to patients in observation status for more than 36 hours.
Having Inpatient status versus observation status determines whether a beneficiary qualifies for Medicare coverage of Skilled Nursing and Rehab services.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a time-limited opportunity for Part B equitable relief for people enrolled in Marketplace plans who mistakenly delayed or declined Medicare Part B because of being given mis-information or mistakes regarding tax credits or other subsidies. This mis-information could have been from a Medicare representative, Social Security rep, or someone else acting on the government’s behalf, such as a Medicare Advantage plan customer service rep.
The 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) included many provisions affecting the Medicare program and the 57 million seniors and people with disabilities who rely on Medicare for their health insurance coverage. Such provisions include reductions in the growth in Medicare payments to hospitals and other health care providers and to Medicare Advantage plans, benefit improvements, payment and delivery system reforms, higher premiums for higher-income beneficiaries, and new revenues.
By April 2019 Medicare will be sending beneficiaries replacement Medicare cards with a new random identification number.
Be aware that Medicare WILL NOT call you on the phone and fraud is already happening as crooks call in an attempt to “verify information” and thereby steal your identity.
When Medicare replaces the SSN on all Medicare cards, they can…
