“And you, of the tender years can't know the fears that your elders
grew by,
And so please help them with your youth, they seek the truth before they can die.”
And so please help them with your youth, they seek the truth before they can die.”
Teach Your
Children, Crosby Stills Nash & Young
“In a sane, civil, intelligent
and moral society, you don’t blame poor
people for being poor.” Andrew Young
Nearly twenty million senior citizens in America are
economically vulnerable. That is nearly
half of all of the country’s elderly. Furthermore,
eight percent of all seniors are home-bound.
A large number of these folks are economically home-bound… too damned
poor to go anywhere.
Income from the federal Social Security program, and health
insurance benefits from the federal Medicare program, are godsends for
economically disadvantaged seniors. Even
so, participation in the Medicare program carries some costs that many
enrollees have difficulty meeting:
monthly premiums, co-insurances, and co-payments.
Federal aid programs currently exist to provide cost-sharing
relief to eligible enrollees who are economically unable to meet the costs of
participating in Medicare. These
programs are collectively known as Medicare Special Needs Programs.
The vast majority of the Medicare enrollees who qualify for
federal cost-sharing relief do not know that these aid programs exist. Medicare enrollees who are confined to their
homes stand very little chance of EVER knowing that these programs exist. And that’s just nuts. This is where we come in… as the bearers of
good news.
Eligibility for Medicare cost-sharing relief is predicated
on two simple tests: limits on net
income, and on personal assets. If
enrollees pass the standards posed by both tests… they qualify for much needed
financial assistance to help pay for Medicare costs.
The following is a summary of the available Medicare Special
Needs Programs:
Medicare Cost Sharing Special Needs
Programs SNP
Medicare Cost Sharing Special Needs Programs help cover some of
the costs of services for individuals who enroll in Medicare. Qualification is based upon both an asset
limits test, and an income limits test based upon the current Federal Poverty
Level Income.
Current Federal Poverty Level Income:
1 person -
$11,770
2 people -
$15,930
There are 3 different kinds of Medicare Cost Sharing Special
Needs Programs.
Qualified Medicare Beneficiaries Program (QMB) pays
Medicare Part B premiums and deductibles, the 20% copayment of Medicare
approved amounts, and co-payments for Medicare-approved, skilled nursing home
care.
How
to Qualify:
Your Taxable Net Income (after deductions like a $20 income
deduction and a portion of your earned income are taken out) must not be more
than 100% of poverty. The income of a spouse who is not eligible for
QMB is counted.
You must
meet the income limits test:
1 person -
$11,770
2 people -
$15,930
You must
meet the asset limits test:
1 person -
$7,160
2 people -
$10,750
Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries (SLMB) pays the Part B Medicare premium only.
How to Qualify:
Your Taxable Net Income (after deductions like a $20 income
deduction and a portion of your earned income are taken out) must not be more
than 120% of poverty. The income of a spouse who is not eligible for
SLMB is counted.
You must
meet the income limits test:
1 person
$14,124
2 people
$19,116
You must
meet the asset limits test:
1 person -
$7,160
2 people -
$10,750
Qualifying Individuals Program (QI-1) pays
the Part B Medicare premium only.
How
to Qualify:
Your Taxable Net Income (after deductions like a $20 income
deduction and a portion of your earned income are taken out) must not be more
than 135% of poverty. The income of a spouse who is not eligible for
QI-1 is counted.
You must
meet the income limits test:
1 person -
$15,890
2 people -
$ 21,506
You must
meet the asset limits test:
1 person -
$7,160
2 people -
$10,750
There are 2 different kinds of Medicare Cost Sharing Special
Needs Programs to help with Medicare Part D prescription drug programs.
Poverty Income
Part D Subsidy Program pays the annual deductible,
and the monthly premium, and limits prescription co-pays: generics $2.50 and brand name $6.30.
How
to Qualify:
Your Taxable Net Income (after deductions like a $20 income
deduction and a portion of your earned income are taken out) must not be more
than 135% of poverty. The income of a spouse who is not eligible is
counted.
You must
meet the income limits test:
1 person -
$15,890
2 people -
$ 21,506
You must
meet the asset limits test:
1 person -
$8,100
2 people -
$12,910
Limited Income
Part D Subsidy Program reduces the annual deductible to $63, reduces the monthly
premium on a sliding scale that goes no higher than the national averaged
monthly premium, and reduces prescription co-pays to 15%... all the way through
to the end of the donut hole.
How
to Qualify:
Your Taxable Net Income (after deductions like a $20 income
deduction and a portion of your earned income are taken out) must not be more
than 150% of poverty. The income of a spouse who is not eligible is
counted.
You must
meet the income limits test:
1 person -
$17,655
2 people -
$ 23,895
You must
meet the asset limits test:
1 person -
$12,510
2 people -
$ 25,010
This new-found knowledge about Medicare cost-sharing
assistance programs lends you the unique power to make a big difference in the
lives of needy senior citizens in your own community. Mother Teresa once counseled, “If you can’t feed a hundred people… then
feed just one.”
Well, if you can’t help a hundred needy Medicare enrollees
in your hometown, then seek out and educate just one. Encourage your family, friends, and
professional colleagues to do the same.
Teach your parents well.
Nourish them with knowledge, and feed
them on your dreams…
and know they love you.
You Are Warmly Invited to Connect With Me on LinkedIn
Our Facebook Page: “ACS Clinical Pharmacy & Sociably Secure-NGO”
No comments:
Post a Comment