Archive
Beginning April 1, 2006, the mission of HAP is to work with State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their programs so they can provide high-quality education and counseling to a greater number of seniors about Medicare and related health care coverage. An additional HAP goal is to stabilize and increase federal funding for the SHIP network. Because HAP will no longer be focused on health insurance issues that affect the non-Medicare population, the weekly emails may not be relevant to your program. We invite you to continue receiving our emails; however, if you prefer not to receive them, please send an email to webmasterga@healthassistancepartnership.org with “UNSUBSCRIBE” in the subject.
I. Conference Call Information
Next Medicare Call on April 19: Part D Latest Developments
II. In the News
Kaiser Family Foundation Releases Reports on DRA Long-Term Care Issues
III. Helpful Information
Kaiser Family Foundation Updates State Data on Creditable Coverage and Low-Income Subsidy Applications
I. Conference Call Information
Next Medicare Conference Call on April 19: Part D Latest Developments
The next Medicare Network Conference Call, Part D Latest Developments, is scheduled today, Wednesday, April 19, at 3:00 p.m. EDT. The Part D transition period has ended and the conclusion of the Part D 2006 Annual and Initial Enrollment Periods 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 for our next monthly call where we will 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.
II. In the News
Kaiser Family Foundation Releases Reports on DRA Long-Term Care Issues
The Kaiser Family Foundation announced on Monday, April 17, that it is releasing five new reports on long-term care issues related to Medicaid changes in the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005, enacted this past February. One report, “Medicaid Long-Term Services Reforms in the Deficit Reduction Act,” gives an overview changes to the rules and program policies. A second report, “Asset Transfer and Nursing Home Use: Empirical Evidence and Policy Significance,” examines the impact of the DRA provisions that will make it more difficult to transfer assets to qualify for Medicaid coverage of nursing home care. The report’s authors estimate that the federal government could save $1.87 billion over a six-year period through the DRA’s asset transfer rules, which includes a five-year “look-back” with the penalty period starting on the date of Medicaid eligibility, not the transfer date. The other reports address issues related to nursing home transition programs and individual budget-based community long-term care programs for the elderly. For more information, see the reports on Kaiser’s website.
III. Helpful Information
Kaiser Family Foundation Updates State Data on Creditable Coverage and Low-Income Subsidy Applications
KFF has updated two charts dealing with state-specific creditable coverage data. The first chart describes Medicare Beneficiaries with creditable prescription drug coverage by the type of drug plan This chart shows the total Medicare beneficiary population for each state and territory and the number of beneficiaries with creditable coverage. This aggregate number broken down into creditable coverage by the type of plan in which beneficiaries are enrolled, including stand alone PDPs, Medicare Advantage plans, auto-enrolled dually eligible persons, those enrolled in employer group plans taking Part D subsidies for retirees and beneficiaries enrolled in Tricare or Federal Employee Health Benefit plans. The chart also numbers those without a source of creditable coverage. The second chart contains the same information about creditable coverage and categories of coverage, but describes percent distribution of these variables.
KFF has also updated a chart displaying Part D Extra Help, or Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) application numbers. This chart details numbers of beneficiaries that have applied for the low-income subsidy in each state, number of applications processed to date, and number of applicants determined to be eligible for the subsidy.
(back to the top)
