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Medicare D – Episode Three
Or how I
learned to relax and love my Social Security application
By Margie Ware,
Elder Services Regional SHINE Coordinator
In July’s Berkshire Senior, we learned that lots and lots of organizations were going to send us things in the mail.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
By now you may have received a blue and white folder from Prescription Advantage filled with all kinds of paper, and/or a white envelope from Social Security with an application and a return envelope in it, and/or some other anxiety-producing communication, which has your head spinning.
Relax. You’re reading this article. You’re in good hands.
By the time you read this, most of the applications from the Social Security Administration that allow people to qualify for extra financial assistance with their Medicare D premiums will have already been mailed. If you did not get an application mailed to you and think you may qualify for help paying your premium, please call Elder Services (1-800-544-5242), your local Council on Aging (COA), or the Social Security office, to get an application. You may also call Elder Services and ask us to apply for you online via computer. If you or a family member are “computer savvy” feel free to visit www.ssa.gov and click on “Medicare Outreach” at the bottom of the page on the right. You will be guided through a process to make an application electronically.
Many individuals were confused by the packet that was mailed from Prescription Advantage. The black and white form included in the folder was not an application. Rather, it was a worksheet which could help you organize your information and thinking prior to filling out the Social Security application. So don’t panic — just pay very close attention to the next paragraph.
If you are a member of Prescription Advantage (PA) and you do not pay a monthly premium to belong, please call Elder Services’ SHINE Program at 800-544-5242 or 1-413-499-0524 and make sure that we have you on our contact list. We are hoping to make sure that all PA members in Levels One and Two (those who do not pay a monthly premium and who have co-pays of $7 and $18 for monthly drug supplies) fill out an application for extra financial assistance with the Social Security Administration, even if their resources/assets are above the level where they will qualify for Federal assistance.
If you are a member of Prescription Advantage and pay a monthly premium between $12 and $99, feel free to call the SHINE office to have us contact you about future meetings that will specifically be targeted to PA members, or contact your local COA to find out when a meeting might be occurring in your community.
If you are someone who receives prescription drug coverage through a former employer’s retiree plan, make sure that your former employer or union contacts you before November 1, 2005 about whether their plan will continue to stay in place. If you have not heard by the end of the month, feel free to contact the human resources department of your former employer and have them give you information in writing about whether they are continuing their prescription drug coverage. Many employers will, but you need to be advised of that in writing.
Are you feeling left out because you haven’t gotten any mail about anything to do with prescription drug coverage? Fear not. Come fall, your mailbox will be crammed with offers from lots of companies who want your business. Speaking with a SHINE Counselor at your local Council on Aging will help you sort through all the offers and decide which one is best for you.