Blog

IRMAA Part D

Most people do not pay IRMAA part D and only pay their Part D premium.  Be aware if you do not sign up for Medicare part D when first eligible, you may have to pay a Part D late enrollment penalty.

If your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is above a certain amount of income for you and/or your spouse, you may have a Part D income-related monthly adjustment (Part D-IRMAA). Medicare will use the MAGI  on your IRS tax return from 2 years prior to the current year. If the income is over the stated 2019 guidelines you will may pay the Part D-IRMAA amount in addition to your monthly part D plan premium, This extra amount of monthly premium is paid directly to Medicare but is billed through your plan. The chart below shows the additional amounts and income for 2019 but is based on 2017 earnings.

IRMAA Part D

Social Security will send a notice stating the Part D-IRMAA, based on your income. The amount you pay is adjusted each year based off the prior two years earnings. If you do not agree with the IRMAA amount or make a lot less than you did two years ago you can appeal, use this form to contact Social Security [PDF, 125 KB].  If you have questions about your Medicare prescription drug coverage, contact our office.  Crowe and Associates phone number is 203-796-5403

The chart below shows your estimated prescription drug plan monthly premium based on your income as reported on your IRS tax return. If your income is above a certain limit, you’ll pay an income-related monthly adjustment amount in addition to your plan premium. 

Do you want to learn more about Medicare Part B IRMAA?   Click to learn more

IRMAA Part B

Most people with Medicare part B will pay the standard premium amount of $135.50 a month. If your modified adjusted gross income goes above certain  income thresholds, you may pay an Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA Part B). Medicare uses the MAGI reported on your IRS tax return from 2 years prior to determine the amount you will pay. They do this in order to have access to a filed tax return in order to determine income.

Part B deductible & coinsurance

Get more information about your Part B premium from Social Security [PDF, 341 KB].

Looking for the IRMAA amounts for Part D of Medicare?   CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Medicare savings program CT 2019

There have been some updates to the income limits for the Medicare savings program CT 2019.

The first question you might ask is; who is eligible for the Medicare savings programs CT 2019?  Anyone that qualifies for Medicare part A who has income below a certain level may be eligible for the program.  In most cases, you qualify for Medicare Part A when you turn 65.  Although, certain people who have a permanent disability for 2 years or more can also qualify.

Below is a chart that shows the current income limits for the Medicare savings program Ct 2019:

If you have Medicare Part B:

You may receive help paying your monthly premium.  The premium for Part B normally comes out of your Social Security check.  When you qualify for any of the Medicare savings programs (either QMB, SLMB or ALMB) the state will pay your Part B premium.

If you do not qualify for Part A or Part B benefits,  the state of CT will help you get them.  If you qualify for QMB, the state will pay your Part A premium for you.  You can “conditionally” apply for Medicare Part A through your local Social Security Administration office or by phone at 1-800-772-1213.

When you qualify for any level of MSP, you are able to apply for benefits outside the normal enrollment period.  This enrollment is called a “buy-in”.  The QMB program will also help with co-insurance payments as well as deductibles.  The SLMB and ALMB programs do not pay either co-insurance or deductibles for you.

Click here to download the MSP Brochure in English.

Click here for MSP Brochure 2019 in Spanish.

These programs take time to go into effect.  It can be 90 days before there is a difference in your Social Security check.  If this happens, Social Security will reimburse you for the premiums that you paid during that time.  Keep in mind, there is no asset limit for any of the programs.  The only thing that matters is your income.  The amount of help you get will depend on your income.

What is considered income?

Things such as; wages, alimony, rental income, interest or dividends as well as Social Security, pensions and disability payments area all considered income.  You will not have to supply proof of your income when you first submit your application for benefits.  Social Security can easily check the information you provided them.  They will notify you if they need more information to process your request.

MSP 2019 Quick guide 2019 – click here

How to apply for benefits:

MSP application CT – click here

Either you can send your application to:
DSS ConneCT Scanning Center
P.O. Box 1320
Manchester, CT 06045-1320
Or, speak to a representative at 2-1-1.  The representatives are available 24 hours a day every day.  You can also call a Choices health insurance counselor at 1-800-994-9422.

To learn more about the services we offer at Crowe and Associates, click this link.

You can also contact us either by phone at (203)-796-5403 or by email at [email protected]

How to find and compare hospitals

If you are aware either that you will need medical care in the future or if you are moving to a new area you will want to know How to find and compare hospitals.  You can compare hospitals easily by clicking on the link to use the new Hospital Compare tool.   This tool can be found at Medicare.gov.  When you get to the page, all you need to do to start the search is to enter the zip code of the area you want to look in.  It is that easy.  Of course, it is always best to speak to you health care provider before making any medical decision.

This tool will also let you view both Department of Defense and Veterans Health Administration hospital performance data.  You can also find information about things like; how to file a compliant, Medicare coverage and healthcare providers.

Hospital Compare gives you information about over 4,000 Medicare-certified hospitals.

This includes more than 130 Veterans Administration (VA) medical centers.

How to find and compare hospitals helps you decide where to get health care services.  By providing patients both options and information, this tool also helps give hospitals an incentive to improve on care.

• Important:  In an emergency, always go to the nearest hospital.

Hospital Compare was made with help from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in collaboration with organizations that represent consumers such as; hospitals, doctors, employers, accrediting organizations, as well as other federal agencies.

Please contact us either at (203)796-5403 or by email at [email protected], if you would like help with your Medicare coverage options.

If you would like to see what we can offer you; go to the Crowe and Associates home page – click here .

images by pixabay

Medicare Part D plan finder 2019

What is Medicare Part D?  Medicare Part D provides you with prescription drug coverage.  The Medicare Part D plan finder 2019 will help you choose the drug plan that will best suit your prescription needs as well as your budget.  This can be very important coverage to have and can save you thousands of dollars each year on the cost of prescription drugs.  Before you go to the website to check on the best plans for you, you will need a list of medications that you currently take along with the doses. Once you have that information in front of you, you are ready to get started.

Recorded Webinar on how to use the Medicare.gov drug plan finder tool

Click here to go to the Medicare plan finder 2019

When you get to the website you will enter your zip code and click on find plans.

1. On this screen you will see 3 questions:

   1. How do you get your Medicare coverage? There are 4 options to choose from.  If you are unsure, just pick the one that says I don’t know.
   2. Do you get help from Medicare or your state to pay Prescription drug costs? There are 6 choices for this question. Again, if you are unsure, choose I don’t know.
   3. Would you like to add drugs? There are 3 options for this question. If you have a list of medications, choose yes then click on the continue to plan results tab.

     2.  The next screen will ask you for the name of the medication.

A.  Type in the name of the medication, click on find my drug.

B.  When you see the correct drug, click on add drug.

C.  The following screen will prompt you to choose a dosage and quantity as well as the frequency and pharmacy type. Answer each question accordingly and continue to the next drug until you have entered all your medications.

D.  Once you have a complete list of your medications, click on my drug list is complete.

     3.  When you get to the Next screen,  you will choose which pharmacies you like to use. You can choose only 1 or 2, no more.  Then you click on the continue to plan            results tab.

     4.  The next screen you will ask you what type of plan you are looking for.

A.  Prescription drug plans (with original Medicare).

B.  Medicare Health Plans with drug coverage.

C. Medicare health plans without drug coverage.

   5. After you click on the appropriate choice, click continue to plan results.

On the next screen, you will see which plans are available and the costs associated with those plans.   You are able to choose up to 3 plans to compare.  Once you have selected the plans you want to compare, you will click on compare plans.   The next screen will show the plans side by side so you can compare them by cost and coverage to find the one that best suits your needs.

Once you use the Medicare Part D plan finder 2019, you will see what a great tool this really is.

If you need help choosing a plan or signing up for Medicare, please contact us.  You can reach us either by phone at (203)796-5403 or by email at [email protected]

For more information about the products that we can offer you, go to our website – click here.

Medicare what’s covered app

This post will explain to consumers the new Medicare what’s covered app.

If you have questions about your medical coverage, find a quick answer by using the Medicare what’s covered app.  If you want to avoid surprise medical expenses, this is a great tool for you.  The “What’s covered” app gives you accurate cost and coverage information on your mobile device.  You can easily check coverage from your doctor’s office, hospital or any place you can use your mobile device.

You can get the app for free from either Google Play or the Apple App Store.

Simply search for either What’s Covered or Medicare to easily locate and download the app to your smart phone. The app is available in Google Play at:  click here for google play app, and is available in the Apple App Store at: click here for itunes app.  This way you will have reliable Medicare information as quickly as you need it.

CMS had the app made to give people a better way to answer the many questions Medicare beneficiaries have. The Medicare population will almost double in size in the next decade. This can add up to about 80 million people. Many Medicare beneficiaries use the internet on a daily basis. There are almost 15 million views by beneficiaries on medicare.gov every year. If you add this to the over 3 million phone calls a year that 1-800-MEDICARE gets, that is a lot of coverage questions.

The new Medicare app gives you general cost as well as coverage details for both Medicare A &B approved supplies and services. 

You can use this tool to look up what Medicare does and does not cover. There is also important information about how and when to use Medicare approved benefits.  You can also access basic cost information for medical supplies and services.  Additionally, you will have access to a list of preventative services that Medicare covers.

Access to reliable Medicare coverage information is just one part of the eMedicare initiative. 

If you want to stay current on the many improvements that the administration is making to Medicare, you can sign up to receive email notifications from the centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, just click here.  You can also find valuable information on the Facebook page for Medicare by using the ink below:

just click here.

If you either need help with or have questions about Medicare coverage options, please contact us.  You can reach us either by phone at (203)796-5403 or by email at [email protected]  We are always happy to help people navigate the Medicare system. Contact Crowe and Associates and make sure you get the Medicare coverage you deserve.  To find out more about what Crowe and Associates offers; click here