Home Hemo
Joined: 23 Jun 2003
Posts: 22
Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2003 10:33 am Post subject: Retiree Health Benefits
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For those of you who have retiree health plans that pay the 20 percent of dialysis care that Medicare doesn't pay, are you aware that you are in danger of losing your coverage? The AARP Hotline has sent this message out twice: Section 631 to amend the Age Discrimination in Employment Act to expressly allow employers to eliminate ALL retiree health benefits (not just for drugs) for retirees eligible for Medicare. The conference committee working on the Medicare Prescription Drug Bill evidently received thousands of letters the first time AARP sent out the notice. AARP is now alerting retirees that Section 631 is still in the Bill, and is urging retirees to write again. All you have to do is go to
http://www.senate.gov,/ pick your senators, and send them an e-mail. There is a link to the House of Representatives so you can send the same message to your Congressman. This is extremely important to those persons who have retired and carried their employer-sponsored health insurance into retirement with them. If we lose our health insurance, we will be responsible for the 20 percent of costs that Medicare doesn't pay. It is extremely important that we don't lose this coverage!! Send this message asap since the conference committee is trying to get this bill on the President's desk the first part of November.
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leadsag
Joined: 31 Oct 2002
Posts: 263
Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2003 11:03 am Post subject: insurance
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Does anyone know if this would also apply to people on dialysis on spouses insurance to cover the 20% or just retirees?
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Home Hemo
Joined: 23 Jun 2003
Posts: 22
Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2003 11:13 am Post subject: Retiree Health Benefits
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This bill pertains only to those retirees who have carried their health insurance into retirement with them. If your spouse is not retired and is still working, at least at the present time, the spouse's health insurance should be okay. Who knows what will happen in the future? However, if the spouse is retired and carried his/her medical insurance into retirement with them, it is now in jeopardy. These people need to flood their Congressional offices with messages to remove Section 631 from the Prescription Drug Bill.
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leadsag
Joined: 31 Oct 2002
Posts: 263
Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2003 11:20 am Post subject: AARP Website
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Here is a link to the AARP website. They have a system where you enter your zipcode and it assists you with writing a letter.<
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>www.aarp.org
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Home Hemo
Joined: 23 Jun 2003
Posts: 22
Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2003 10:45 am Post subject: Retiree Health Benefits
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This is one of the lines from the AARP Bulletin: "If this provision becomes law, there will be nothing to prevent employers from altering, reducing, or even eliminating the health benefits of any retiree over the age of 65." Another line, "Section 631 would amend the Age Discrimination in Employment Act to expressly allow employers to eliminate ALL retiree health benefits (not just prescription drugs) for retirees eligible for Medicare or state health plans." What this tells me, Leadsag, is that even a spouse's plan. while still working, would not cover a spouse over the age of 65. I'm not sure how that affects ESRD patients, since we are all forced to go onto Medicare after the 30-month coordination of benefits period. However, many of us are not retirees, nor over the age of 65. Section 631 was a last-minute addition to the Senate prescription drug bill. Despite tens of thousands of phone calls and e-mails that were sent to Congress by AARP members, the prescription drug conference committee has not yet removed Section 631 from the Senate version of the bill, and it may be part of the final bill. AARP has sent out another bulletin urging retirees and family members to again immediately write, e-mail, or telephone their Senators and Congressmen to urge them to ensure that Section 631 not be part of the prescription drug bill. They give a telephone number to reach your legislators: 1-800-580-5739. Most legislators also have a local number listed in the telephone book.
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Lin
Joined: 28 Oct 2002
Posts: 337
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2003 6:04 am Post subject: I was told
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when I called AARP that they don't cover dialysis and one would need Medigap ins. for that. Is that correct or was I misled or am I confused duh? The social worker told me us pts. either need commercial ins. that pays secondary, or Medigap. Lin
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Home Hemo
Joined: 23 Jun 2003
Posts: 22
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2003 10:48 am Post subject: Medicap
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Lin: I'm not sure what Medigap insurance does - since I had private insurance from my work when I left, I never investigated Medigap policies. There are approximately 12 million retirees/ESRD patients that have carried their medical insurance from work into retirement. That insurance, for me, was primary until my 30-month coordination of benefits period ended. Medicare then became primary and my private policy became secondary. They pick up all the charges that Medicare doesn't pay. (I have Traditional Medicare). Maybe someone who has a Medigap policy can explain what these are, what the premium is, is that in addition to what we already pay for Medicare, etc.
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Lin
Joined: 28 Oct 2002
Posts: 337
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2003 6:36 am Post subject: Medigap
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supposedly pays whatever portion (20%) that Medicare does not pay. I figure the units push it because many just can't afford to pay the 20% and they might end up eating it. Didn't know about the AARP info., if was actually correct or not. Yes, when you receive Medicare just because of esrd you have no choice and must be on traditional Medicare, at least that is what ss rep. told me and is in my "book". I go Medicare primary soon, but it's not like I got a lot of info.. Mostly I just have to go on-line and sort things out, download info.. Lin.
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Home Hemo
Joined: 23 Jun 2003
Posts: 22
Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 3:25 am Post subject: Medigap
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Lin: If you have private insurance through an employer, or a previous employer, or you are insured on your husband's policy, you wouldn't need Medigap. When Medicare becomes primary, your own, or your husband's insurance would become secondary, and they pick up the 20% that Medicare doesn't pay. However, if you are retired, or your husband is retired, and you have insurance through your former employer, and the Medicare prescription drug bill passes with Section 631 attached, all employers will be able to do away with retiree coverage. (Section 631 is an amendment to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act that would allow employers to eliminate all retiree health benefits for retirees eligible for Medicare or state health plans). At the present time, it is attached to the Medicare prescription drug bill due to employer pressure on Congress. I know what you are talking about calling Medicare or Social Security - you get a different answer from everyone you talk to. You will never get the same answer twice so you just have to "muddle" through on your own.
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Lin
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Joined: 28 Oct 2002
Posts: 337
Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 12:05 pm Post subject: Right now
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TY I'm still commercial ins. primary, but soon that will change. The social worker told me that even if one has commercial secondary it would be wise to get Medigap as more and more com. ins. doesn't pay all that is left. It has to do with some kind of clause that some insurers have that if you have Medicare they don't pay the Medicare eligable leftovers. I tried contacting Ins. co. but when I called their customer service no. got the "hello I'm a receptionist and don't know a bleep thing" person, which seems to be status quo for comm. ins. co. these days. We've had Cigna, Aetna, United Healthcare and now Oxford and it's the same old story. Lin.<
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Home Hemo
Joined: 23 Jun 2003
Posts: 22
Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 1:08 pm Post subject: Commercial Insurance
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Lin: I would sure check out the provisions in your commercial insurance before you get a Medigag policy. Health insurance is expensive enough without paying for a Medigap policy you won't use. Did you find out if it's possible to get a Medigap policy if your commercial insurance opts out? At the present time, my commercial insurance picks up the 20% that Medicare doesn't, however, it is possible that the cost will go so high (for 2004 it's $392 for self and family (was $232 for self and family in 2003) that I may not have a choice. With increases like that I may be priced out of my commercial insurance and have to go with a Medigap policy. (Did you find out the costs for Medigap's, and are they HMO's, PPO's or ?, etc.?)
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leadsag
Joined: 31 Oct 2002
Posts: 263
Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 2:55 pm Post subject: medigap policy
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I think you can only buy a Medicare Supplement during the open enrollment period.
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Lin
Joined: 28 Oct 2002
Posts: 337
Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2003 1:28 am Post subject: Where I live
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NJ, Medigap policies are offered through a few private insurers, so I have stil to find out what the costs are. I pay for Medicare part B, and too each year we pay more and more of the cost for commericial ins.. it's high option so it's more. Gosh, we pay more for ins. than food! Finding out what one's ins. covers is a real pain. Lin.
