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Dear Marci, I’m enrolled in the federal Extra Help program. Will there be changes to my benefits in 2018? How will I know about them? – Ava Huntington, WV Dear Ava, There are several changes that can happen for people with Extra Help, a federal program that helps pay Medicare prescription drug costs, before and during Fall Open Enrollment. If a change is being made to your Extra Help coverage, you will be mailed a notice sometime in September, October, or November. Look out for the colors and titles of these notices to find out if you need to take action to change or keep your Extra Help benefits. If you receive an orange notice, you do not need to take action. This is the “Change in Extra Help Copayments” Notice, and you may receive it sometime in October. This notice explains if the Extra Help copays will change in 2018. Copays usually change a small amount each year. Read this notice to learn how much you will pay for your covered drugs in 2018, and save it for your records. If you receive a blue notice, you might need to take action. There are two kinds of blue notices, and they are both called Reassignment Notices. The first kind of Reassignment Notice is sent out in October to people whose Medicare Advantage (MA) plans or Part D drug plans are leaving the Medicare program. If you receive this notice, it means that you will be reassigned to a new MA or Part D plan in 2018. If you want to choose your own plan, you will have to choose it by December 31, 2017. If you do not take action, you will be automatically enrolled in a different plan that may or may not fit your prescription drug needs. The second kind of blue Reassignment Notice is sent in October to people whose MA or Part D plan premiums have risen above the Extra Help benchmark (the maximum premium amount that Extra Help will cover). If you receive this notice, it means you will be assigned to a new plan in 2018. If you want to choose your plan, you should do so before December 31, 2017. Otherwise, you will be automatically enrolled in a new plan. If you receive a gray notice, you should be prepared to take action, because it means that you could be losing Extra Help or paying more in the coming year. The first kind of gray notice is a “Loss of Deemed Status” Notice. This notice is sent in September to people who will no longer qualify to get Extra Help in 2018. If you get this notice, but you think it is a mistake (because your income hasn’t changed and/or you’re still below the income and asset limits for Extra Help), you should reapply for Extra Help right away so you don’t lose coverage in 2018. You can apply by calling the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213, visiting your local Social Security office, or applying online here. The second kind of gray notice is the “Low-Income Subsidy Choosers” Notice. You will receive this in November if you chose your current drug plan (instead of being automatically enrolled in one), and your plan premium is increasing above the Extra Help benchmark amount in the coming year. If you receive this notice, it means that you have to actively change your plan to one with a lower premium. If you do not actively switch to a plan with a premium below the Extra Help benchmark, you will pay part of the premium (the difference between the premium amount and the benchmark amount) in 2018. – Marci |
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