HAPs 2006 Conference Calls
December 13, 2006: Tying Up Loose Ends
During HAP’s next conference call we would like to take the opportunity to field your concerns about the Annual Enrollment Period and the upcoming plan year. We also want to discuss updates from the Social Security Administration about the Low-Income Subsidy as well as present a few new tools from HAP. As always, we will leave plenty of time for you to share your triumphs and issues you continue to face.
November 15, 2006: Counsel Through: The 2007 Part D AEP
The day has finally arrived! Part D Annual Enrollment is upon us. Please join us to debrief, reflect and predict the next month and a half. Based on discussion during our November 1st HAP/SHIP conference call call, we will also review the decisional factors around choosing Part D plans and what options there are for people who may want to change later. We will discuss the new Part D transitional-fill policies when changing plans, or when your plan changes. Given what we’ve all found in the landscape of plans, we will continue to review counseling tips and tools for beneficiaries considering Private Fee-For-Service and Medicare Savings Accounts.
November 1, 2006: Last Minute D-etails
With the 2007 Part D Annual Enrollment Period quickly approaching during the next two weeks, we have added this call to give SHIP staff an opportunity to regroup and review during this hectic period. Our conversation will focus on tools and techniques to prepare you for potential counseling challenges, including a discussion around the national proliferation of Private-Fee-For-Service plans and Medicare Savings Accounts. We will also assess Plan Finder updates and recent mailings. Join us to strategize and compare notes so we are all prepared by November 15th.
October 18, 2006: Think Twice, Enroll Once
The Plan Finder on www.medicare.gov is now active for 2007, and it appears that much has changed in the landscape of Part D plans. How can SHIPs be prepared to help all Medicare beneficiaries consider all of their options for the 2007 Part D Annual Enrollment Period? Join us to discuss the counseling and education challenges that this tight timeframe and many plan changes present. We will also discuss how counseling tools, such as the Plan Finder, can enable SHIPs and their partners to empower beneficiaries to make informed decisions and take timely action to select the best Part D plan.
September 20, 2006: Getting Ready for 2007
Using the same strategies with which we approached the first Part D enrollment period, i.e., breaking down the information, segmenting Medicare populations and following the timeline set by the Medicare Modernization Act, we will engage in an interactive discussion of the work-planning challenges for SHIPs and their partners.
August 16, 2006: LIS Revisited
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is starting its redetermination process for the approximately two million Medicare beneficiaries it has determined to be eligible for the Part D Low Income Subsidies (LIS), or “Extra Help,” since July 2005. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the state Medicaid agencies are also at work on a re-deeming process for people with Medicare and Medicaid (the dually eligible), including Medicare Savings Program recipients. During the call, we will carefully review the processes, notices and forms that LIS beneficiaries will soon receive. We will leave lots of time to discuss how these processes will affect your SHIP work. We are honored that Bea Disman, Chair of Social Security Administration’s Medicare Task Force and SSA Regional Commissioner for Region II in New York, and Cheri Arnott, Social Security Administration Associate Commissioner for External Affairs, will join us for the call. At the same time, there are still 3-5 million low income Medicare beneficiaries who have not yet applied for LIS. Please plan to share your ideas for reaching the “missing LIS millions” with Bea and Cheri, who are eager to hear from you.
July 19, 2006: New Medicaid Citizenship Documentation Rules
The Deficit Reduction Act (DRA)of 2005 requires state Medicaid Programs to implement new rules to document the citizenship of those who apply or re-apply for Medicaid benefits, starting on July 1, 2006. But recent federal regulatory developments now exempt Medicare beneficiaries and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients from the documentation requirements. As the state Medicaid agencies move forward to implement the citizenship documentation requirements and other features of the DRA, what will be the impact on SHIP counseling programs? Gene Coffey, an attorney with the National Senior Citizen Law Center, will join us as a guest speaker.
June 21, 2006: Talking to Part D Plans: A HIPAA Privacy Refresher
As they counsel and assist Medicare beneficiaries, SHIPs and their partners must often give and receive specific information about the people they are helping. We will look at how the HIPAA privacy rule applies to Part D. We will examine issues such as plan enrollment, switches, cost sharing, and resolving problems related to filling prescriptions in light of the HIPAA privacy rule. We will describe a number of HIPAA's tools for disclosing and receiving protected health information, and discuss how advocates can use them to enable productive problem-solving with Part D plans.
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May 17, 2006: Reflect and Project
We will discuss the Part D coordinated Annual and Initial Enrollment Periods end on Monday. Now is the time to take a deep breath and think about what we have learned over the past months and how to apply that knowledge to our plans for the future.
April 19, 2006: Latest Developments
The Part D transition period has ended and the conclusion of the Part D 2006 Annual and Initial Enrollment Period is approaching. CMS has enrolled in Part D plans the Medicare Savings Program beneficiaries, SSI beneficiaries and those who applied and were awarded LIS effective May 1st. Join us as we discuss the acceleration of the Part D timeline, enrollment periods and plan elections, especially SPecial Enrollment Periods, and any consequences of the conclusion of the transition period. We will also invite open and in-depth brainstorming about reaching those who will be most hurt if they fail to enroll in a plan by May 15th. We will also share ideas and practical advice to help beneficiaries gain access to drugs through Part D plans, and if time permits, we will address Parts B and D coverage issues as well.
March 15, 2006: Moving Beyond the Theory of Exceptions and Appeals
We will discuss strategies to assist beneficiaries with understanding the transition period, and to inform providers about the importance of applying for exceptions during the transition.
February 22, 2006: More Solutions
We will continue the discussion of how SHIPs and other advocates can help beneficiaries obtain their prescriptions through their Part D plans. We will provide updates on the emergency procedures that CMS has put in place to help beneficiaries through Part D start-up issues. We also plan to discuss more long-term issues related to coverage determinations, exceptions and appeals.
January 18, 2006: First Aid Kit for Part D
We will review and discuss the current status of Part D implementation glitches and how SHIPs can team up with pharmacies and states to help Medicare beneficiaries get their prescriptions filled. We will also spend time analyzing how SHIPs can team with physicians and pharmacies to help beneficiaries address Part D drug plan transition, utilization management and formulary exception issues.
January 4, 2006: First Call After D Day
We will cover new developments regarding the process for point-of-service facilitated enrollment and assisting dually eligible persons (duals) at the pharmacy, unforeseen issues and problems that have arisen since coverage began, and strategies for handling the volume of work.
