Lumaktaw sa pangunahing content

Getting Help

What if I need help paying my Medicare prescription drug costs?

If you have limited income and resources, you may qualify for help to pay some health care and prescription drug costs.


Extra Help is a Medicare program to help people with limited income and resources pay Medicare prescription drug costs. You may qualify for Extra Help if your yearly income and resources are below these limits in 2019:


These amounts may change in 2020. You may qualify even if you have a higher income. Resources include money in a checking or savings account, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). Resources don't include your home, car, household items, burial pots, up to $1,500 for burial expenses (per person), or life insurance policies.

If you qualify for Extra Help and join a Medicare drug plan, you'll:
  • Get help paying your Medicare drug plan's costs.
  • Have no late enrollment penalty.
Note: Extra Help isn't available in Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, or American Samoa.

Most people with Medicare can only make changes to their drug coverage certain times of the year. If you newly get, lose, or have a change in your Medicaid or Extra Help status, you may get a Special Enrollment Period to change drug plans. Check with your plan for more information.




You automatically qualify for Extra Help if you have Medicare and meet any of these conditions:


  • You have full Medicaid coverage.
  • You get help from your state Medicaid program paying your Part B premiums
  • You get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
To let you know you automatically qualify for Extra Help, Medicare will mail you a purple letter that you should keep for your records. You don't need to apply for Extra Help if you get this letter:
  • If you aren't already in a Medicare drug plan, you must join to use this Extra Help.
  • If you're not enrolled in a Medicare drug plan, Medicare may enroll you in one so that you'll be able to use the Extra Help. If Medicare enrolls you in a plan, you'll get a yellow or green letter letting you know when your coverage begins, and you'll have a Special Enrollment Period to change plans.
  • Different plans cover different drugs. Check to see if the plan you're enrolled in covers the drugs you use and if you can go to the pharmacies you want.
  • If you have Medicaid and live in certain institutions or get home-and-community-based services, you pay nothing for your covered prescription drugs.

If you didn't automatically qualify for Extra Help, you can apply anytime:
Note: When you apply for Extra Help, you also can start your application process for the Medicare Savings Program. These state programs provide help with other Medicare costs. Social Security will send information to your state unless you tell them not to on the Extra Help application.
Mga etiketa:

Mga Komento

Mag-post ng isang Komento

Mga sikat na post sa blog na ito

Medicare Part D Costs for 2020

Before 2006, Medicare did not cover prescription medications. There was a limited number of medications that were offered under Medicare Part Band,  and otherwise, you had to pay for your medications out of pocket. In 2003, everything had changed when President George W. Bush passed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA). This is what we now know of as  Medicare Part D , an optional part of Medicare that provides prescription drug coverage. Part D plans are run by private insurance companies and not by the government. However, the federal government sets guidelines on what basic medications are covered and how much you can be charged.  A deductible is the amount of money you spend out of pocket before your prescription drug benefits begin. Your plan may or may not have a deductible. The maximum deductible a plan can charge for 2020 is set at $435. It has increased by  $20 from 2019. Part D
Mag-post ng isang Komento
Magbasa nang higit pa

Benefit Period

The benefit period is the length of time during which a benefit is paid. It   measures your use of  inpatient  hospital and  skilled nursing facility (SNF)  services. This  begins the day you are admitted as an inpatient, or to an SNF, and ends the day you have been out of the hospital or SNF for 60 days in a row. After you meet your  deductible ,  Original  Medicare  will pay in full for days 1 to 60 that you are in a hospital. The remaining days, 61-90 , you will have to pay a  daily coinsurance. If your 90 days of hospital coverage has been consumed but you need to stay longer, Medicare covers up to 60 additional lifetime reserve days and yo u will also have to pay a daily  coinsurance . These days are nonrenewable , meaning you will not get them back when you become eligible for another benefit period. If you run out of days during your benefit period, Medicare will stop paying for your in-patient related hospital costs such as room and board.  To be eligible for a new b
1 komento
Magbasa nang higit pa

Comparing Health Care Providers

How do I compare the quality fo Health Care Providers? Medicare collects information about the quality and safety of medical care and services given by most health care providers (and facilities). Check Medicare.gov/quality-care-finder and get a snapshot of the quality of care they give their patients. Some feature a star rating system to help you compare quality measures that are important to you. Find out more by: Talking to your health care provider. Each health care provider should have someone you can talk to about quality. Asking your doctor or other health care provider what he or she thinks about the quality of care other providers give. You can also ask your doctor or other health care provider about the quality of care information you find on Medicare.gov . Having access to quality and cost information upfront helps you get a complete picture of your health care options. You'll be able to compare quality ratings, cost information, and other details to hel
Mag-post ng isang Komento
Magbasa nang higit pa