Mr. Torres has a small savings account.

He
would like to pay for his monthly Part D
premiums with an
automatic monthly withdrawal from his
savings account until it is exhausted, and
then have his premiums
withheld from his Social Security check.
What should you tell him?
In general, he must select a single Part D
premium payment mechanism that will be
used throughout the year.
Mr. Bickford did not quite qualify for the
extra help low-income subsidy under the
Medicare Part D Prescription
Drug program and he is wondering if there
is any other option he has for obtaining
help with his considerable
drug costs. What should you tell him?
He could check with the manufacturers of
his medications to see if they offer an
assistance program to help people with
limited means obtain the medications they
need. Alternatively, he could check to see
whether his state has a pharmacy
assistance program to help him with his
expenses.
You work for a company that has marketed
Medigap products for many years. The
company has added
Medicare Advantage and Part D plans and
you will begin marketing those plans this
fall. You are planning what
materials to use to easily show the
differences in benefits, premiums and cost
sharing for each of the products.
What do you need to do with your
materials before using them for marketing
purposes?
You must submit your materials to the plan
you represent, so CMS can review and
approve the materials to ensure they are
accurate.
Mr. Yoo's employer has recently dropped
comprehensive creditable prescription drug
coverage that was offered
to company retirees. The company told Mr.
Yoo that, because he was affected by this
change, he would qualify
for a Special Enrollment Period. Mr. Yoo
contacted you to find out more about what
this means. What can you
tell him?
It means that he qualifies for a one-time
opportunity to enroll into an MA-PD or
Part
D prescription drug plan.
Mrs. Lenard is enrolled in a Medicare Cost
plan. Recently the cost plan announced its
intention to end its cost
contract and transition to a Medicare
Advantage (MA) Mrs. Lenard received a
letter indicating that unless she
chooses another plan or opts out she will
be automatically enrolled in the new
Medicare Advantage plan
operated by an organization affiliated with
her cost plan. What does this mean?
If Mrs. Lenard wants to enroll in a
Medicare Advantage plan affiliated with
her cost
plan effective January 1, she should do
nothing and she will be automatically
enrolled.
If she does not want to enroll in that MA
plan, she should choose another plan or
otherwise opt out of the automatic
enrollment.