HAP’s eNewsletter: August 2008

I. HAP HAPpenings
Take Part in Our Makeover
HAP wants to know how our newsletter can better meet your needs. We hope you can take a few minutes to complete our short survey. Your input will be used to shape HAP’s newsletters beginning in October.

More LTC Training Tools Now Available
Consider HAP next time you need to train a volunteer or new counselor on Long-Term Care (LTC) issues. HAP’s LTC Center features four interactive trainings and accompanying fact sheets, which can be used during counseling sessions on LTC. HAP has also compiled a list of resources from the LTC network that you can use to test your skills and learn more about this complex topic.

In a related note, the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations recently held a hearing on Long-Term Care Insurance where former Pennsylvania SHIP Director, Jack Vogelsong testified. Jack is now the Chief of Division of Long Term Living Outreach and Education, a new program within the Pennsylvania Department of Aging. Visit HAP’s What’s HAPpening section to read a brief analysis.
 
HAP’s Conference Call Will Be on Vacation in August
HAP will not be having a SHIP-to-SHIP conference call in August. If you start to miss our voice, don’t despair, you can listen to past calls online at your convenience. We look forward to talking with you on September 17 at 3 pm ET!

In the meantime, if you have suggestion for a call, please email us at SHIPHelp@hapnetwork.org.

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II. Highlights from CMS
Updated Lists of Plan SHIP Numbers Now Available
For the past few years HAP has worked through our partners at AHIP to provide you SHIP-only telephone numbers for the Medicare Advantage (MA) and Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs) in your state. We are happy to send your state’s updated SHIP specific numbers to you again this year.

If you would like the list of plan contact numbers for your state, please send us an email telling us your state at shiphelp@hapnetwork.org. We will send you the updated numbers right away. We also invite you to share the attached list with your colleagues in the SHIP program so all SHIP counselors and volunteers may use the numbers to contact plans. Hopefully, more direct access to the plans will make it easier to resolve client issues.

We would like to hear how this SHIP-specific access works for your program. Email us at shiphelp@hapnetwork.org with feedback about how this access is working. We will use your feedback as we work with AHIP to continue improving this SHIP service for years to come.

So Many SEPs to Remember
HAP understands that keeping track of Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs) is not easy. CMS recently announced its guidance updates, which include new Part D SEPs. If you are looking for a concise description of the new Part D SEPs, check out HAP’s updated chart.

Also check out our updated and handy Quick Guide to SEPs chart for a refresher on SEP timeframes. These tools can help you inform beneficiaries when they have an SEP and how long they have to make changes to their drug plan to avoid any disruption in coverage.

New Guidance Now in Effect
In July, CMS released updated versions of guidance, which provide details about the daily operating rules for PDPs and MA plans.

• Prescription Drug Benefit Manual
  • Chapter 3 – PDP Enrollment and Disenrollment Guidance
  • Chapter 5 – Benefits and Beneficiary Protections
  • Chapter 6 – Part D Drugs and Formulary Requirements
• Medicare Managed Care Manual
  • Chapter 2 – MA Enrollment and Disenrollment Guidance

HAP submitted comments to CMS about the draft versions of the PDP and MA Enrollment Guidance. While few of our suggestions were incorporated into the final version of these manual chapters, HAP remains committed to providing feedback based on experiences reported from SHIPs around the network. The collective voice of the SHIPs is an invaluable contribution to this rule-making process.

New and Improved Best Available Evidence Policy
CMS released an updated Best Available Evidence (BAE) policy with better protections for low-income beneficiaries. The policy restates the requirement that plans must honor evidence presented by an enrollee (or an individual acting on the enrollee’s behalf) indicating that the enrollee is dual eligible or is eligible for the low-income subsidy.

• Upon receiving such evidence, plans must provide these enrollees with prescriptions at the reduced cost-sharing rate.
• Plans also must follow-up with CMS (or its contractor) to correct the inaccurate records.

This policy also introduces a new requirement for plans to provide assistance to enrollees who claim to be LIS-eligible but do not have BAE. In these cases,

• The plan must gather relevant information from the enrollee, including the enrollee’s contact information and the number of days remaining of the enrollee’s supply of medication.
• Plans must submit the completed worksheet to the CMS regional office within one day of notification of the situation.

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III. Items of Interest
Boomers Boost Volunteer Programs
You can take a free, online volunteer management course to learn more about recruiting and engaging volunteers age 50+. The 3-hour, interactive course can be taken at your convenience. You can start or stop the course at any time. The Temple University Center for Intergenerational Learning developed this course to help you:

• Understand how today’s 50+ volunteers want to contribute
• Learn how to craft compelling volunteer opportunities for them
• Explore proven ways to market your volunteer opportunities and develop a successful recruitment plan
• Master the most effective strategies for placing, training, and supporting volunteers age 50+

Whether you are creating a volunteer program or looking to grow what you already have, this training course is fun and full of practical exercises and tools, so you can quickly put what you learn to work.

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