Alabama Medicare Plans updated their address.
Should I Enroll in Medicare if I'm Still Working?
Employer Has 20 or More Employees: If you have group health insurance from an employer for which you or your spouse work after you turn 65, you can delay enrolling in Medicare until the employment ends. You will not incur any late penalties if you enroll later. Medicare considers your employer insurance, “creditable coverage,” as good or better than Medicare. When your employer coverage ends, you will have a special enrollment period of up to eight months to sign up for Medicare. The eight-month period begins with the month after your group health plan coverage ends, or your employment ends, whichever comes first.
Employer Has Fewer Than 20 Employees: the employer can require you to enroll in Medicare (both A & B). In this situation, Medicare is the primary insurance, not your employer’s insurance. You will need to get a Medicare Supplement to fill in the gaps Medicare does not cover. My advice is to talk with your employer if he has fewer than 20 employees to determine if you need to sign up for Medicare.
Does Medicare cover testing for COVID-19?
Yes, testing for COVID-19 is covered under Medicare Part B when it is ordered by a doctor or another health care provider that accepts Medicare, and if the test was ordered after February 4, 2020. Medicare Advantage plans are also required to cover COVID-19 testing.
Medicare beneficiaries who get tested for COVID-19 are not required to pay the Part B deductible or any coinsurance for this test. Recently passed legislation also eliminates beneficiary cost-sharing for COVID-19 testing-related services, including the associated physician visit or other outpatient visit (such as hospital observation, or emergency department services).
Lowering the Cost of Insulin
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is lining up drug makers and the private insurers who manage Medicare drug benefits to volunteer to test out the new pricing for insulin in 2021.
The program would create a flat monthly copayment rate of $35 for most types of insulin. According to CMS people on Medicare pay about 675 million a year for insulin and this new program could lower that cost to 229 million.
The information for this post was taken from a CNBC article dated March 11, 2020, and the author is Caroline Humer.
Alabama Medicare Plans updated their phone number.
How Are Medicare Supplements Priced in Alabama
Attained-age-rated: This is, by far, the most common pricing model for Medicare Supplement plans in Alabama. Your initial price is based on your age at the time the policy is signed or issued.
Medicare Supplement Rate Increases
1. Age Increase
The insurance company increases the rate each year as you get older. Age increases range between 1.5% – 5% per year. This rate increase generally starts around your 68th birthday and occurs once per year. This increase only affects policies that are “age-attained.”
2. State-Wide Rate Increase
The second rate adjustment occurs when the insurance company increases your rate due to inflation, the cost of doing business, claims. The state-wide rate increase usually takes place once each year. Rate increases have to be approved by the Alabama Department of Insurance.