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September 2007 Medicare Part D Newsletter
:: 1. Start Looking for your ANOC
:: 2. More on the Average Monthly Costs of Medicare Part D Plans
:: 3. Medicare Extra-Help Recipients to be Reassigned to New Medicare Part D Plans
:: 4. Other Important Medicare Mailings On their Way
:: 5. Special Enrollment Period for Medicare Advantage Enrollees
:: 6. Closing Notes
1. Start Looking for your ANOC
Start Looking for Your Medicare Part D Annual Notice of Change Letter – or ANOC
You may want to start watching for a letter in your mail box from your Medicare Part D plan provider that explains the changes (if any) in your upcoming 2008 Part D plan. The letters are called Annual Notice of Change letters (or ANOCs) and could arrive in the mail between now through the end of October.
Why is this important? Your ANOC contains information on changes in Part D plan costs (monthly premium changes, co-payment changes) and the changes in benefits of your Part D plan (what prescriptions are covered). In addition, your ANOC contains specific information for extra-help recipients.
What should you do? As noted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), you should “[r]eview changes [in your Medicare Part D plan] to decide whether the plan will continue to meet prescription drug needs in 2008." If you are enrolled in a Medicare Part D plan and pleased with your plan’s proposed 2008 coverage, you don’t need to make any changes – if you do no enroll in a new Part D plan you will automatically continue with your current 2007 Part D prescription drug plan into 2008.
Exception: If you are a low-income Medicare beneficiary, you may be automatically re-assigned into a new Medicare Part D plan (see Topic #3, below).
Still not sure about the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) letter? Click here to see the CMS model letter.
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2. More on the Average Monthly Costs of Medicare Part D Plans
“Average" Medicare Part D Plan Monthly Premium Costs
Question: The August’s Medicare Part D Newsletter stated that 2008 Medicare Part D premiums will only go up by about $3 per month and that 2007 Part D premiums are running about $23 to $32 per month. How can this be? I need a Part D plan with Doughnut Hole coverage and my monthly premiums in 2006 were $76. Then in late 2006, I was notified that my 2007 monthly premiums would go up to $86 a month, and also my existing plan would now only cover generics in the coverage gap. I found another Part D provider in my state covering all my medications in the gap, and my 2007 monthly premiums are now up to $96 a month - or over 3-4 times higher than the premiums mentioned in the August Newsletter!
Again, how can this be? Click Here for our Answer.
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3. Medicare Extra-Help Recipients to be Reassigned to New Medicare Part D Plans
Over 1.5 Million Medicare Extra-Help Recipients will be Moved to a New Medicare Part D Plan
If you are receiving “Extra Help" with your Medicare Part D plan premiums or work with low-income Medicare beneficiaries, you may want to prepare for some changes in 2008 Medicare Part D plan providers. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), in order to accommodate monthly premium changes in the current 2007 Part D plans, approximately 1.58 million Medicare Part D prescription drug plan enrollees who participate in the financial “extra help" program will be randomly reassigned to new 2008 Medicare Part D prescription drug plans. If the Medicare beneficiaries are not satisfied with their newly assigned 2008 plan, they will have the option to change Part D plans without penalty.
As stated by CMS:
“Under Part D, beneficiaries with low incomes can receive valuable extra assistance with their drug plan premiums and cost-sharing. Nearly 9.5 million beneficiaries are currently receiving extra help through the Part D program. To avoid a premium for these low income beneficiaries and to avoid any gap in coverage, about 1 in 6 of these beneficiaries will be assigned by CMS to a new plan sponsor in their coverage area on a random basis (effective January 1, 2008). These beneficiaries will be able to switch to another plan if they choose." (CMS Press Release, August 13, 2007).
What can you expect to see in your mail? You will be sent a letter in October from CMS explaining that your current Medicare Part D plan premium has increased above the established subsidy amount and you will be enrolled in a new Medicare Part D plan that has a lower premium. (see the next section on Important CMS Mailings)
Bottom Line: Low-income Medicare beneficiaries should be prepared to re-evaluate their new 2008 Medicare Part D plan and ensure that their medications are covered. If they wish, low-income beneficiaries can enroll in a Medicare Part D plan of their own choosing.
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4. Other Important Medicare Mailings On their Way
As noted in the Topic #3 above, if you are being automatically moved to another Medicare Part D plan, you will receive the following letter from CMS:
Reassignment Letter (BLUE Letter) (Pub. No. 11209) – Version 2:
“On October 30, CMS mails a notice explaining that the plan’s premiums are increasing, and their premium will be above the regional LIS premium subsidy amount by more than $1 in 2008. Because Medicare enrolled you into this plan in 2007, Medicare will reassign you to a new plan effective January 1, 2008, unless you join a new plan on your own, by December 31, 2007.
Beneficiary Action Needed:
Keep the notice. Compare the new 2008 plan with others to meet your needs. Which plans cover the prescriptions you take? Which pharmacies can you use? Change plans, if you choose, in early December. For more information call 1-800-MEDICARE; check Medicare & You 2008; go to www.medicare.gov, or contact State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for free personalized help." (source: CMS Guide to CMS, SSA, and Plan Mailings Summer and Fall 2007)
What other mailings can you expect to receive from CMS? Click here for a list of CMS & SSA mailings for the Summer and Fall of 2007.
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5. Special Enrollment Period for Medicare Advantage Enrollees
If you believe that you enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan “based on misleading or incorrect information", you may be eligible for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) allowing you the opportunity to enroll into another Medicare Advantage Plan, return to original Medicare, or enroll in a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan (PDP). This SEP is not automatic and is granted on a case-by-case basis. Please click here to read the original CMS Statement.
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Last updated on: 07/18/2008
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