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From:
DearMarci@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx(Marci / Medicare Rights Center)
Date: Tue, Sep 20, 2005, 9:28am (EDT-3) To: oldie69@xxxxxxxxx (Olly
Mensch) Subject: Marci's Medicare Update: Week of 09/19/05--Making ends
meet
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    www.medicarerights.org  |  e-newsletters   Volume 4, Issue
38: Week of September 19, 2005
Welcome to Dear Marci, a free, weekly newsletter designed to keep you
in the loop about health care benefits, rights and options for older
Americans and people with disabilities.
Dear Marci is a service of the Medicare Rights Center (MRC) (
www.medicarerights.org), the nation's largest independent source of
health care information for people with Medicare.  A national
nonprofit founded in 1989, MRC helps older adults and people with
disabilities get good, affordable health care.   
For reprint rights, please contact AZeno@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
***Get Help from Home - Help Others from Home***
Linking Individuals in Need with Care and Services (LINCS) is a free
service of the Medicare Rights Center (MRC) in collaboration with
AARP.  LINCS is a volunteer network that helps older and disabled New
Yorkers complete and submit applications to receive extra help paying
for Medicare prescription drug costs. After completing a web-based
training, volunteer counselors assist people in need through one-on-one
telephonic counseling from the comfort of their own home.
If you have Medicare and would like help getting this benefit, please
e-mail  lincs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, or call 800-480-2060, ext. 82. If
you are interested in volunteering, complete an application online at
www.medicarerights.org/lincs.html
Topic of the Month: Making Ends Meet
Marci's Mailbox
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Dear Marci,
I was reading about the new Medicare prescription drug benefit and
learned that there will be out-of-pocket costs if I sign up.  I also
read that if I don't sign up now, I'll have to pay more if I sign up
later.  Does Medicare have any programs to help pay for these costs?
     ?Ella (Lakewood, CO)
 
Dear Ella,
Yes.  If your monthly income is below $1,197 for singles ($1,604 for
couples) and your assets are below specified limits (see chart below for
2005 guidelines), you may be eligible for help paying for your Medicare
prescription drug plan.
Even if your income or assets seem to be above the limit, you may still
qualify because certain types of income and assets, such as your
home,  maynot be counted.
If you are enrolled in Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or a
Medicare Savings Program (MSP), you automatically qualify for help. You
do not have to apply for this extra assistance.
If you are not enrolled in one of the programs that automatically
qualify you for the extra help, you will have to fill out an
application. You can do that through the Social Security Administration
(SSA), using either the agency's print or online application.
Note: Even if you qualify for the extra help paying for your Medicare
drug costs, you must choose a private plan offering Medicare drug
coverage in your area in order to get Medicare prescription drug
coverage.
The amount of extra help you will receive depends on your income and
assets. It's a complex formula, so please read carefully:
If You Have...
Your Assets
You Pay
 
Medicaid1 and income below 100% FPL
(below $798 a month for singles and $1,070 a month for couples in 20053)
State Medicaid asset test applies.
Note: If you have Medicaid, you automatically qualify for the extra
help?you do not have to apply for it.
·  No monthly premium2
·  No deductible
·  $1/generic and $3/brand name4
(no copayment after $5,100 in total annual drug costs)
 
Medicaid and income above 100% FPL5
(above $798 a month for singles and $1,070 a month for couples in 20053)
State Medicaid asset test applies.
Note: If you have Medicaid through spend-down, once you have met your
spend-down amount you are automatically eligible for the extra help for
the rest of the calendar year?you do not have to apply for it.
·  No monthly premium2
·  No deductible
·  $2/generic and $5/brand name4
(no copayment after $5,100 in total annual drug costs)
 
Income below 135% FPL and do not have Medicaid
(below $1,077 a month for singles and $1,444 a month for couples in
20053)
Below $7,500 for individuals and $12,000 for couples6
·  No monthly premium2
·  No deductible
·  $2/generic and $5/brand name4
(no copayment after $5,100 in total annual drug costs)
 
Income between 135% and 150% FPL and do not have Medicaid
(between $1,077 and $1,197 a month for singles, or $1,444 and $1,604 a
month for couples in 20053)
Below $11,500 for individuals and $23,000 for couples6
·  Sliding scale monthly premium
·  $50 deductible
·  15 percent coinsurance ($2/generic and $5/brand name4 copayment
after $5,100 in total annual drug costs)
 
1 Institutionalized individuals with Medicaid, at all income levels, pay
no copayment, deductible or premium.
2 Premium is $0 if you enroll in a plan with a premium at or below the
benchmark premium. If you choose a plan with a higher premium, you will
have to pay the difference.
3 Federal poverty levels change every year. They will be higher in 2006.
Limits are higher if there are more than two people in your household.
Limits are also higher in Hawaii and Alaska and may vary in U.S.
Territories.
4 Indexed to the overall increase in drug costs.
5 This includes "spend-down" or medically needy individuals, who spend a
portion of their income to become eligible for Medicaid.
6 If you answer "no" to the question on the application that asks if you
intend to use any of your assets for funeral or burial expenses, then
your asset limits will be reduced by $1,500 for singles or $3,000 for
couples.
If you decide not to sign up during the six-month open enrollment period
when you are first eligible for the Medicare drug benefit and you choose
to enroll at a later date, you may have to pay a premium penalty?an
increase in your premium for every month that you wait to enroll after
your initial enrollment period ends?for as long as you have Medicare
prescription drug coverage. This penalty will not apply if you had other
drug coverage at least as good as Medicare's when you decided to put off
enrolling in the Medicare drug benefit.
Stay tuned next week to learn about how supplemental policies and
Medicare Advantage plans can help fill the gaps in and enhance Medicare
benefits!
       ?Marci
    
Have a question for Marci?  Click here to e-mail your questions . 
Please include your city, county and state of residence.
 
Spotlight on Resources
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Visit the Social Security web site to see if you qualify for extra
help and apply using the online application. To read more about extra
help to pay for the Medicare prescription drug benefit and Medicare
prescription drug plans, visit Medicare online.
For a comprehensive guide to the Medicare prescription drug benefit,
log on to Medicare Drug Coverage 101, produced by the Medicare Rights
Center.  Through this web site, you can also find information
about current sources of help paying for prescription drugs.
Call your State Health Assistance Program for more information on
Medicare benefits, rights and options. Call Social
Security (800-772-1213) for questions about enrolling in Medicare.
Health Tip of the Week
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Grab your grocery list and coupons and head to the market?there's only
two weeks left of fresh fig season!  Did you know figs provide more
dietary fiber per serving than any other common dried or fresh fruit?
Increasing your fiber is essential in promoting healthy bowel function,
and according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a diet rich
in fruits, vegetables and grain products that contain dietary fiber,
particularly soluble fiber, and low in saturated fat and cholesterol may
reduce the risk of heart disease.
So next time you're strolling the aisles of the produce section, look
for the figs, a small, chestnut-shaped fruit that ranges in color from
deep purple to copper and gold.  The four most commonly available
varieties of fig are the Calimyrna, Mission, Kadota and Brown Turkey
figs.
While dried figs are available year-round, fresh fig season lasts from
July through September.  Including figs in your salads, desserts,
marinades and even your baking is an excellent way to achieve a diet
high in fiber. 
Baking with dried figs is an easy way to replace fat in your cakes and
cookies.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which
named figs the fruit of the month, reminds bakers not to overmix or
overbake when using dried figs to replace shortening or oil.  "Use
only half of the normal amount of shortening, margarine, butter or oil,
in a recipe when using dried puree. For instance, if 1 cup of margarine
is called for, use only ½ cup. Then use ½ of the fig puree."  You
can find recipes for fig puree and other fig dishes on the CDC web
site.
Still too hot to turn on the oven? For a quick and simple take on the
fruit, visit the Food Network for Rachael Ray's recipe for stuffed and
wrapped figs.
And don't worry: fiber-rich oatmeal season is coming with the winds of
fall.
 
Survey Says . . .
* * * * * * * * * * 
Over the last year and a half, older adults have begun to warm up to the
Medicare prescription drug benefit.  According to a Kaiser Family
Foundation  survey completed last month, older adults are now evenly
split on their opinion of the new benefit?32 percent each said they
view the program favorably and unfavorably, a 16 percent increase in
"favorable" responses and a 23 percent decrease in "unfavorable" answers
since the initial survey in February 2004. 
The remaining 36 percent of older Americans surveyed is evenly split as
well?18 percent each said they are neutral or don't yet know how they
feel about the benefit.
Spread the Word About MARCI
Tell your friends to sign up to receive Dear Marci and
other Medicare policy and news updates by
visiting www.medicarerights.org/subscribeframeset.html today!
Privacy Policy: MRC will never share your e-mail address with a third
party.
Contents are © 2005 by Medicare Rights Center, 1460 Broadway, New
York, NY 10036.  For reprint rights, please
contact AZeno@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
To remove yourself from this mailing, please click here.
To modify your profile, please click here.

E-mail message

From:
DearMarci@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx(Marci / Medicare Rights Center)
Date: Tue, Sep 20, 2005, 9:28am (EDT-3) To: oldie69@xxxxxxxxx (Olly
Mensch) Subject: Marci's Medicare Update: Week of 09/19/05--Making ends
meet
This message is not marked with a green dot in your Mail list because
it is not from a known sender. To make this a known sender, choose one
of these links:
? Add sender to Address book
? Add sender to approved senders list
    www.medicarerights.org  |  e-newsletters   Volume 4, Issue
38: Week of September 19, 2005
Welcome to Dear Marci, a free, weekly newsletter designed to keep you
in the loop about health care benefits, rights and options for older
Americans and people with disabilities.
Dear Marci is a service of the Medicare Rights Center (MRC) (
www.medicarerights.org), the nation's largest independent source of
health care information for people with Medicare.  A national
nonprofit founded in 1989, MRC helps older adults and people with
disabilities get good, affordable health care.   
For reprint rights, please contact AZeno@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
***Get Help from Home - Help Others from Home***
Linking Individuals in Need with Care and Services (LINCS) is a free
service of the Medicare Rights Center (MRC) in collaboration with
AARP.  LINCS is a volunteer network that helps older and disabled New
Yorkers complete and submit applications to receive extra help paying
for Medicare prescription drug costs. After completing a web-based
training, volunteer counselors assist people in need through one-on-one
telephonic counseling from the comfort of their own home.
If you have Medicare and would like help getting this benefit, please
e-mail  lincs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, or call 800-480-2060, ext. 82. If
you are interested in volunteering, complete an application online at
www.medicarerights.org/lincs.html
Topic of the Month: Making Ends Meet
Marci's Mailbox
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Dear Marci,
I was reading about the new Medicare prescription drug benefit and
learned that there will be out-of-pocket costs if I sign up.  I also
read that if I don't sign up now, I'll have to pay more if I sign up
later.  Does Medicare have any programs to help pay for these costs?
     ?Ella (Lakewood, CO)
 
Dear Ella,
Yes.  If your monthly income is below $1,197 for singles ($1,604 for
couples) and your assets are below specified limits (see chart below for
2005 guidelines), you may be eligible for help paying for your Medicare
prescription drug plan.
Even if your income or assets seem to be above the limit, you may still
qualify because certain types of income and assets, such as your
home,  maynot be counted.
If you are enrolled in Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or a
Medicare Savings Program (MSP), you automatically qualify for help. You
do not have to apply for this extra assistance.
If you are not enrolled in one of the programs that automatically
qualify you for the extra help, you will have to fill out an
application. You can do that through the Social Security Administration
(SSA), using either the agency's print or online application.
Note: Even if you qualify for the extra help paying for your Medicare
drug costs, you must choose a private plan offering Medicare drug
coverage in your area in order to get Medicare prescription drug
coverage.
The amount of extra help you will receive depends on your income and
assets. It's a complex formula, so please read carefully:
If You Have...
Your Assets
You Pay
 
Medicaid1 and income below 100% FPL
(below $798 a month for singles and $1,070 a month for couples in 20053)
State Medicaid asset test applies.
Note: If you have Medicaid, you automatically qualify for the extra
help?you do not have to apply for it.
·  No monthly premium2
·  No deductible
·  $1/generic and $3/brand name4
(no copayment after $5,100 in total annual drug costs)
 
Medicaid and income above 100% FPL5
(above $798 a month for singles and $1,070 a month for couples in 20053)
State Medicaid asset test applies.
Note: If you have Medicaid through spend-down, once you have met your
spend-down amount you are automatically eligible for the extra help for
the rest of the calendar year?you do not have to apply for it.
·  No monthly premium2
·  No deductible
·  $2/generic and $5/brand name4
(no copayment after $5,100 in total annual drug costs)
 
Income below 135% FPL and do not have Medicaid
(below $1,077 a month for singles and $1,444 a month for couples in
20053)
Below $7,500 for individuals and $12,000 for couples6
·  No monthly premium2
·  No deductible
·  $2/generic and $5/brand name4
(no copayment after $5,100 in total annual drug costs)
 
Income between 135% and 150% FPL and do not have Medicaid
(between $1,077 and $1,197 a month for singles, or $1,444 and $1,604 a
month for couples in 20053)
Below $11,500 for individuals and $23,000 for couples6
·  Sliding scale monthly premium
·  $50 deductible
·  15 percent coinsurance ($2/generic and $5/brand name4 copayment
after $5,100 in total annual drug costs)
 
1 Institutionalized individuals with Medicaid, at all income levels, pay
no copayment, deductible or premium.
2 Premium is $0 if you enroll in a plan with a premium at or below the
benchmark premium. If you choose a plan with a higher premium, you will
have to pay the difference.
3 Federal poverty levels change every year. They will be higher in 2006.
Limits are higher if there are more than two people in your household.
Limits are also higher in Hawaii and Alaska and may vary in U.S.
Territories.
4 Indexed to the overall increase in drug costs.
5 This includes "spend-down" or medically needy individuals, who spend a
portion of their income to become eligible for Medicaid.
6 If you answer "no" to the question on the application that asks if you
intend to use any of your assets for funeral or burial expenses, then
your asset limits will be reduced by $1,500 for singles or $3,000 for
couples.
If you decide not to sign up during the six-month open enrollment period
when you are first eligible for the Medicare drug benefit and you choose
to enroll at a later date, you may have to pay a premium penalty?an
increase in your premium for every month that you wait to enroll after
your initial enrollment period ends?for as long as you have Medicare
prescription drug coverage. This penalty will not apply if you had other
drug coverage at least as good as Medicare's when you decided to put off
enrolling in the Medicare drug benefit.
Stay tuned next week to learn about how supplemental policies and
Medicare Advantage plans can help fill the gaps in and enhance Medicare
benefits!
       ?Marci
    
Have a question for Marci?  Click here to e-mail your questions . 
Please include your city, county and state of residence.
 
Spotlight on Resources
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Visit the Social Security web site to see if you qualify for extra
help and apply using the online application. To read more about extra
help to pay for the Medicare prescription drug benefit and Medicare
prescription drug plans, visit Medicare online.
For a comprehensive guide to the Medicare prescription drug benefit,
log on to Medicare Drug Coverage 101, produced by the Medicare Rights
Center.  Through this web site, you can also find information
about current sources of help paying for prescription drugs.
Call your State Health Assistance Program for more information on
Medicare benefits, rights and options. Call Social
Security (800-772-1213) for questions about enrolling in Medicare.
Health Tip of the Week
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Grab your grocery list and coupons and head to the market?there's only
two weeks left of fresh fig season!  Did you know figs provide more
dietary fiber per serving than any other common dried or fresh fruit?
Increasing your fiber is essential in promoting healthy bowel function,
and according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a diet rich
in fruits, vegetables and grain products that contain dietary fiber,
particularly soluble fiber, and low in saturated fat and cholesterol may
reduce the risk of heart disease.
So next time you're strolling the aisles of the produce section, look
for the figs, a small, chestnut-shaped fruit that ranges in color from
deep purple to copper and gold.  The four most commonly available
varieties of fig are the Calimyrna, Mission, Kadota and Brown Turkey
figs.
While dried figs are available year-round, fresh fig season lasts from
July through September.  Including figs in your salads, desserts,
marinades and even your baking is an excellent way to achieve a diet
high in fiber. 
Baking with dried figs is an easy way to replace fat in your cakes and
cookies.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which
named figs the fruit of the month, reminds bakers not to overmix or
overbake when using dried figs to replace shortening or oil.  "Use
only half of the normal amount of shortening, margarine, butter or oil,
in a recipe when using dried puree. For instance, if 1 cup of margarine
is called for, use only ½ cup. Then use ½ of the fig puree."  You
can find recipes for fig puree and other fig dishes on the CDC web
site.
Still too hot to turn on the oven? For a quick and simple take on the
fruit, visit the Food Network for Rachael Ray's recipe for stuffed and
wrapped figs.
And don't worry: fiber-rich oatmeal season is coming with the winds of
fall.
 
Survey Says . . .
* * * * * * * * * * 
Over the last year and a half, older adults have begun to warm up to the
Medicare prescription drug benefit.  According to a Kaiser Family
Foundation  survey completed last month, older adults are now evenly
split on their opinion of the new benefit?32 percent each said they
view the program favorably and unfavorably, a 16 percent increase in
"favorable" responses and a 23 percent decrease in "unfavorable" answers
since the initial survey in February 2004. 
The remaining 36 percent of older Americans surveyed is evenly split as
well?18 percent each said they are neutral or don't yet know how they
feel about the benefit.
Spread the Word About MARCI
Tell your friends to sign up to receive Dear Marci and
other Medicare policy and news updates by
visiting www.medicarerights.org/subscribeframeset.html today!
Privacy Policy: MRC will never share your e-mail address with a third
party.
Contents are © 2005 by Medicare Rights Center, 1460 Broadway, New
York, NY 10036.  For reprint rights, please
contact AZeno@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
To remove yourself from this mailing, please click here.
To modify your profile, please click here.

.