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Annual check up
–
For the new year,
how do your medical benefits stand?
Another new year is
here – a time to make resolutions like losing a
few pounds, quitting a bad habit or starting a new
hobby.
It’s also a good
time to look over the status of your medical
benefits, particularly as rates change, program
eligibility requirements shift and benefits change
for the year.
With the coming of
2002, there aren’t any huge changes on the medical
benefits horizon for Minnesota seniors. Premiums,
deductibles and other rates for Medicare and other
health care products are being tweaked to reflect
market activities.
For those older
Minnesotans who are having difficulty paying for
prescription drugs, the Senior LinkAge Line® can
help with resources such as The Medicine Program and
Needy Meds. In addition, the PhRMA directory can
help assist in locating companies that have indigent
patient assistance programs. Under each company’s
listing it identifies what prescription medications
they cover, their basic eligibility criteria, and
the company’s contact information. To request a
copy of this directory, you can call PhRMA
(Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of
America) at 1-800-762-4636.
To advocate for the
reduction of prescription drug prices, you can call
the Rx Hotline at 1-800-211-0907. This hotline was
created by AARP to assist in contacting your elected
officials.
Nationally, there
currently is no talk about adding a prescription
drug benefit to Medicare coverage, but a Medicare
prescription discount card may be available by April
2002. Medicare recipients will have the choice of
taking part in the plan.
The start of the
year is also a good time to review the supplemental
health coverage plan you have. Some of the plans
offered in Minnesota will have more restrictions on
how easily or frequently changes can be made to
those policies.
As a general rule,
if you’re happy with how your plan is working, no
changes are necessary as long as you can afford it.
But those who have questions or concerns can contact
the State Health Insurance Counseling Pro-gram
(SHIP) offered through the Senior LinkAge Line®
(1-800-333-2433).
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