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Five Tips on Extra Help to Pay for the New Medicare
Drug Benefit
July 8, 2005 – Twenty million people with Medicare
have been targeted to receive applications from the Social Security
Administration for extra help in paying for the new Medicare
prescription drug benefit. Many are being received now and in response
to complaints about the difficulty in completing the forms, the Medicare
Rights Center has issued tips for making it easier.
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Editor's Note:
If a you think a friend or relative may have received a form for
help, please, volunteer your help in completing the form. |
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Related Story |
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President Helps Kickoff “Medicare Covers America”
Rally
Government steps up efforts to enroll seniors who
need help with drug costs
June 17, 2005 – President George W. Bush joined
Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt and CMS Administrator
Dr. Mark McClellan yesterday for the “Medicare Covers America” kickoff
rally at the Hubert Humphrey Federal Building in Washington, D.C. The
rally launched a new stage in the national effort to get comprehensive
drug coverage to the more than 42 million people with Medicare who need
help paying for their prescription drugs.
Read more...including
key dates for 2006 Medicare enrollment
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More on the Medicare
Drug Program - click here |
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“Even though applying for the low-income subsidy
is more complex than it should be, the extra help to pay for the drug
benefit is worth it,” explained Robert Hayes, president of the Medicare
Rights Center.
SSA estimates the drug subsidy will provide about
$2,100 in help to people with low incomes.
The Medicare Rights Center, a national consumer
group, has five tips to help older adults and people with disabilities
complete the application.
1. You do not have to submit documents proving your
income and assets. But you will need to gather your financial records to
complete the application, including statements from your bank, employer
payroll, life insurance policy, investments, stocks, tax returns, and
pension letters.
2. If you are married and live with your spouse,
you must provide your spouse’s income and assets even if only one of you
is applying for the extra help.
3. People with both Medicare and Medicaid, enrolled
in a Medicare Savings Program (MSP) or receiving Supplemental Security
Income (SSI), will automatically qualify for the extra help and do not
have to apply for the assistance.
4. If you and your spouse are both applying, you
can apply on the same form.
5. Use an original application form. Using a
photocopy or an application printed from the internet will delay the
processing of your application.
To apply for the extra help, people who think they
might be eligible should mail a completed application to the SSA,
complete the online application on the SSA web site (www.ssa.gov),
or apply at a local SSA office or Medicaid office. More help on how to
complete the SSA application is available on the Medicare Rights
Center’s web site at
http://www.medicarerights.org/app_tips.pdf.
Individuals with incomes up to $1,197 per month
($1,604 per month for a couple) and less than $11,500 in assets ($23,000
for a couple) are eligible for some assistance. Individuals with
incomes of $1,077 per month ($1,444 per month for a couple) and less
than $7,500 in assets ($12,000 for a couple) are eligible for the full
drug subsidy. The asset limits include $1,500 for an individual ($3,000
for a couple) for funeral or burial expenses. The extra help to pay for
the Medicare drug benefit is available to residents of all 50 states and
Washington, DC.
Information on the private drug plans that will be
offered in each region will be available in October. People must enroll
in a drug plan from November 15, 2005 to May 15, 2006, to avoid
penalties for late enrollment. The new Medicare prescription drug
benefit begins January 1, 2006. The average premium is expected to be
about $37 per month for people who do not get the extra help.
People with Medicare who have prescription drug
coverage fill nearly one-third more prescriptions than those without
coverage, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
For more information about the Medicare
prescription drug benefit, visit Medicare Interactive (www.medicareinteractive.org/aarp),
a one-stop, interactive web site providing older adults and people with
disabilities, their caregivers and professionals user-friendly consumer
information about health care benefits, rights and options. You can
also call 1-800-MEDICARE to get the toll-free number for counselors at
your local State Health Insurance Information and Assistance Program
(SHIP).
Medicare Rights Center (MRC) is the nation’s
largest independent source of health care information and assistance for
people with Medicare. Founded in 1989, MRC helps older adults and
people with disabilities get high-quality, affordable health care.
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