MEDICAID WEB SITE
Passing
on information about a new online site for Medicare beneficiaries to get
info about low-cost drugs. It is tailored to each state program. IT IS NOT
DESIGNED for and should NOT be used TO DETERMINE MEDICAID
ELIGIBILITY. For example, it does not distinguish between different
types of assets that are exempt from Medicaid, such as a spouse's IRA, one's
own IRA if one is taking minimum distributions from it, etc. However, it
is useful for: those who do not have and are not
eligible for Medicaid or other Rx coverage.
want help paying for their prescription drugs
It will calculate whether someone is eligible for EPIC, but whether they are or
not, it will say whether there are particular drug company programs that will
subsidize a particular medication that a client takes. It will also
identify those Medicare drug cards that cover the particular drugs the client
takes (these must be entered in the program).
In a test case i entered, it recommended a private Medicare
drug card AND that the client enroll in EPIC. This advice should be
carefully considered. You'll need to estimate the client's costs under
EPIC - whether she qualifies for the cheaper Fee plan or the more expensive
Deductible plan to see whether both are worthwhile. Also, EPIC beneficiaries whose income is low (under
$12,659 for one, $16,862 for couples) should receive a free First
Health/EPIC Drug Discount Card with these benefits, and should NOT enroll in a
second card.
FORWARDED
INFO:
Dear Friends and
Colleagues:
Please help us to spread the word about an important new web site that
can help millions of seniors and younger people with disabilities to
save money on the prescription drugs. By using the a
powerful new
on-line service called BenefitsCheckUpRx, anyone can help Medicare
beneficiaries to learn about and connect to the best combination of more
than 340 different government and private programs. More than 95
leading national non-profit organizations have come together to create
the Access to Benefits Coalition which is making this fast, free and
confidential service available to the public. This service is available
at the following web sites: www.accesstobenefits.org
http://www.accesstobenefits.org/.
and www.benefitscheckup.org
Here is an
example of the BenefitsCheckUpRx in
action: a volunteer
recently went on-line to help a
reduce her medication costs. Her income is $918 a month, but the five
prescriptions she takes were costing her $533 per month, or nearly
$6,400 per year. It took about fifteen minutes to use the
BenefitsCheckUp Service. After following
up on the recommendations and
enrolling in the programs identified by this we site, she will now pay
$25 a month for her medicines a savings of over $6,000 per year.
The BenefitsCheckUpRx provides the most benefits for
people with modest
incomes: if a person with Medicare has an annual income less than
$19,000 for an individual or $25,000 for a couple, it is very likely
that they will find a lot of help through the BenefitsCheckUpRx.
Already hundreds of people are being helped every day...but we need your
help to reach many more Medicare beneficiaries and their family members.
Here is how you help:
o Send this e-mail to everyone you know....everybody
knows older
people who need help paying for medicines. *
o *Visit *www.AccesstoBenefits.org* http://www.accesstobenefits.org />.
On the left side of the page, use
the drop down menu to find out if there is a local Access to Benefits
Coalition near you. If people don't have direct Internet access, these
local non-profits can often help people use the online service. *
*o Tell everyone at work, especially your human
resources
department, about it.*
*o Talk it up at church or synagogue, and share the
news with your
clergy or social justice/action committee.*
*o Share the news with your doctor and pharmacist.
Ask them if
theyve heard about it.
o Help someone you know use
the online service. If you know the
medicines that they take and have a general idea of their income and
assets, you can help them yourself. It's fast, free and
confidential.
Thank you for helping to spread the word. Lets make sure that
seniors
and people with disabilities get all of the help that is available to
them to pay for the medicines they need!.
James Firman
President & C.E.O.
The National Council on the Aging
300 D Street, S.W. Suite 801
Washington, D.C. 20024
Telephone: 202-479-6601
Fax: 202-479-6602
E-mail: james.firman@ncoa.org