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Senior News March, 2005 Vol. 24. No. 3
Published by the Humboldt Senior Resource Center in Eureka, California. HSRC is a non-profit community-based organization offering services for senior citizens, multi-generational families and caregivers.
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Humboldt Senior Resource Center Back issues Table of Contents
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Ask HICAP Medicare drug plan calendar by Anne Antoville The Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) has just published a timeline for the new Medicare drug benefit, Medicare Part D. March 2005 March 31 is the last day to enroll to get $600 prescription costs credit on the Medicare Discount Card Transitional Assistance Program. If you have questions or need help, you can call HICAP, the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, at 443-9747 in Humboldt County and 464-7876 in Del Norte. May 2005 Watch your mail for information from Social Security about applying for extra help with premiums and drug co-pays with Medicare Part D. This help is called the Medicare Part D Low Income Subsidy. June 2005 You can begin enrolling in the Medicare Part D Low Income Subsidy through Social Security if you meet the income and asset guidelines. If you have Medi-Cal or the state pays your Medicare premiums, you should get a letter from CMS letting you know that you have been automatically enrolled in the low income subsidy for Medicare Part D. Caution: This subsidy is not a Medicare Part D drug plan. It is the subsidy that pays the premiums and co-pays for the Medicare drug plans. You will have to choose a Medicare drug plan in November. June 31 is the last day to enroll in the Medicare Discount Card Transitional Assistance Program to get $450 prescription cost credit. September 2005 Sept. 30 is the last day to enroll in the Medicare Discount Card Transitional Assistance Program to get $300 prescription cost credit. October 2005 Beginning Oct. 13 you will be able to compare Medicare drug plans on the Medicare web site. Retiree plans should notify beneficiaries whether their coverage will provide a Medicare Part D wrap-around. If you have Medi-Cal, you will be automatically enrolled in a Medicare drug plan. You will need make sure that the plan covers your drugs or ask your doctor if you can change to a drug covered by your Medicare drug plan. November 2005 Beginning Nov. 15 you can enroll in a Medicare drug plan. This open enrollment period lasts through May 2006. After May 2006, you will pay a 1 percent penalty per month if you could have enrolled in a Medicare drug plan but chose not to enroll. This will be a lifetime penalty and will include those who choose to keep Medigap plans H, I and J. If you have Medi-Cal and want to change to a different Medicare drug plan, you can change plans in November. December 2005 If you have Medi-Cal with Medicare, Dec. 31 is the last day you will get Medi-Cal drug coverage. January 2006 Medicare Part D drug coverage begins. Medigap plans H, I and J will no longer be sold to new enrollees. If you have Medigap plans H, I or J and want to get a Medicare drug plan, you will need to change your Medigap policy. Anne Antoville is the HICAP Manager for Humboldt and Del Norte counties. Call HICAP with your Medicare questions - 443-9747 in Humboldt and 464-7876 in Del Norte. |
Senior News