Senior Citizens Now Receiving Medicare Brochure
Explaining New Affordable Care Act
Highlights of brochure and links to English and
Spanish versions online are below news report
May
27, 2010 – Senior citizens and others covered by Medicare should be
receiving within days the new brochure "Medicare and the New Health Law
- What it Means for You" in their mailboxes. The mailing from the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services outlines the key provisions
of the Affordable Care Act. The information is available in English or
Spanish and online (see links below).
“These are needed improvements that will keep
Medicare strong and solvent,” writes Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of
Health & Human Services, in the introduction of the brochure.
“Your guaranteed Medicare benefits won’t
change-whether you get them through Original Medicare or a Medicare
Advantage plan. Instead, you will see new benefits and cost savings, and
an increased focus on quality to ensure that you get the care you need.”
The first benefit that many people with Medicare
will receive as a result of the passage of the new law is a one-time
check for $250, if they enter the Part D donut hole and are not eligible
for Medicare Extra Help.
Beginning next year, the Affordable Care Act
ensures that Medicare beneficiaries will get free preventive care
services like colorectal cancer screening and mammograms, in addition to
a free annual wellness visit.
The law also includes new tools to help fight fraud
by helping Medicare crack down on criminals who are seeking to scam
seniors and steal taxpayer dollars.
"Medicare and the New Health Law - What it Means
for You"
The mailing encourages beneficiaries and their
family members to log on to
http://www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE to get their
questions about Medicare or the Affordable Care Act answered and reminds
them to be on the alert for possible scams.
Medicare and the New Health Care Law - What it Means for You
What Stays the
Same
The guaranteed Medicare benefits you currently
receive will remain the same. During open enrollment this fall, you will
continue to have a choice between Original Medicare and a Medicare
Advantage plan. Medicare will continue to cover your health costs the
way it always has, and there are no changes in eligibility.
But, there are some important benefits that you and
your family can take advantage of starting this year. Look for more
details in your “Medicare and You Handbook” coming this fall.
Improvements in
Medicare You Will See Right Away
More Affordable Prescription Drugs
● If you enter the Part D “donut hole” this
year, you will receive a one-time, $250 rebate check if you are not
already receiving Medicare Extra Help. These checks will begin mailing
in mid-June, and will continue monthly throughout the year as
beneficiaries enter the coverage gap.
● Next year, if you reach the coverage gap, you
will receive a 50% discount when buying Part D-covered brand-name
prescription drugs.
● Over the next ten years, you will receive
additional savings until the coverage gap is closed in 2020.
Important New Benefits to Help you Stay Healthy
● Next year you can get free preventive care
services like colorectal cancer screening and mammograms. You can also
get a free annual physical to develop and update your personal
prevention plan based on current health needs.
Improvements to Medicare Advantage
● Today, Medicare pays Medicare Advantage
insurance companies over $1,000 more per person on average than Original
Medicare. These additional payments are paid for in part by increased
premiums by all Medicare beneficiaries—including the 77% of seniors not
enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan.
● The new law levels the playing field by
gradually eliminating Medicare Advantage overpayments to insurance
companies.
● If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan, you
will still receive guaranteed Medicare benefits.
● Beginning in 2014, the new law protects
Medicare Advantage members by taking strong steps to ensure that at
least 85% of every dollar these plans receive is spent on health care,
rather than administrative costs and insurance company profits.
Improvements in
Medicare You Will See Soon
Better Access to Care
● Your choice of doctor will be preserved.
● The law increases the number of primary care
doctors, nurses, and physician assistants to provide better access to
care through expanded training opportunities, student loan forgiveness,
and bonus payments.
● Support for community health centers will
increase, allowing them to serve some 20 million new patients.
Better Chronic Care
● Community health teams will provide
patient-centered care so you won’t have to see multiple doctors who
don’t work together.
● If you’re hospitalized, the new law also helps
you return home successfully—and avoid going back—by helping to
coordinate your care and connecting you to services and supports in your
community.
Improvements
Beyond Medicare That You and Your Family Can Count On
Improves Long-Term Care Choices
● New tools and resources in the Elder Justice
Act, which was included in the new law, will help prevent and combat
elder abuse and neglect, and improve nursing home quality.
● The new law creates a new voluntary insurance
program called CLASS to help pay for long-term care and support at home.
● Individuals on Medicaid will receive improved
home- and community-based care options, and spouses of people receiving
home- and community-based services through Medicaid will no longer be
forced into poverty.
Helps Early Retirees
● To help offset the cost of employer-based
retiree health plans, the new law creates a program to preserve those
plans and help people who retire before age 65 get the affordable care
they need.
Helps People with Pre-existing Conditions
● The new law provides affordable health
insurance through a transitional high-risk pool program for people
without insurance due to a pre-existing condition.
● Insurance companies will be prohibited from
denying coverage due to a pre-existing condition for children starting
in September, and for adults in 2014.
● Insurance companies will be banned from
establishing lifetime limits on your coverage, and use of annual limits
will be limited starting in September.
Expands Health Coverage for Young People
● Young people up to age 26 can remain on their
parents’ health insurance policy starting in September.
The New Law
Preserves and Strengthens Medicare
New Tools to Fight Fraud and Protect Your
Medicare Benefits
● The new law contains important new tools to
help crack down on criminals seeking to scam seniors and steal taxpayer
dollars.
● It reduces payment errors, waste, fraud, and
abuse to make Medicare more efficient and return savings to the Trust
Fund to strengthen Medicare for years to come.
● You are an important resource in the fight
against fraud. Be vigilant and rely only on your trusted sources of
information about your Medicare benefits.
● Call 1-800-MEDICARE if you have any questions
or want to report something that seems like fraud.
Keeps Medicare Strong and Solvent
● Over the next 20 years, Medicare spending will
continue to grow, but at a slightly slower rate as a result of
reductions in waste, fraud, and abuse. This will extend the life of the
Medicare Trust Fund by 12 years and provide cost savings to those on
Medicare.
● In 2018, seniors can expect to save on
average almost $200 per year in premiums and over $200 per year in
co-insurance compared to what they would have paid without the new law.
● Upper-income beneficiaries ($85,000 of annual
income for individuals or $170,000 for married couples filing jointly)
will pay higher premiums. This will impact about 2% of Medicare
beneficiaries.
For more information about the new health care law
now, visit www.medicare.gov. If you have any questions, call
1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or your State Health Insurance
Assistance Program (SHIP). Visit www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE
to get their telephone number. TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048. If
you need help in a language other than English or Spanish, say “Agent”
at any time to talk to a customer service representative.
Visit the Eldercare Locator at www.eldercare.gov to
find out how to access home- and community-based services and benefits
counseling, transportation, meals, home care, and caregiver support
services. You can also call 1-800-677-1116. The Eldercare Locator, a
public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging, is your first step
for finding local agencies in every U.S. community.
Keep up with the latest news for senior citizens, baby
boomers
May
27, 2010 – Senior citizens and others covered by Medicare should be
receiving within days the new brochure "Medicare and the New Health Law
- What it Means for You" in their mailboxes. The mailing from the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services outlines the key provisions
of the Affordable Care Act. The information is available in English or
Spanish and online (see links below).