Health plan update [Vol. 6, no. 2 (Nov. 4, 2005)]

Open Enrollment Drawing to a Close
The open-enrollment period for benefits offered by the University System of Georgia (USG) ends today, Nov. 4. If you have not yet filled out and returned to your Human Resources Office any necessary forms to indicate your preferences for 2006, please do so immediately.
William Wallace, the University System's associate vice chancellor for human resources, reports that this year's open-enrollment period has gone smoothly. If you have any unresolved questions about your benefits or how to make changes to them, please contact your Human Resources Office for information today. All changes and elections for 2006 benefits must be made by the close of business this afternoon.
Medicare and Prescription-Drug Coverage
If you are covered by one of the USG's health plans and you are eligible for Medicare, you have an important decision to make this winter about how your prescription-drug costs will be covered in the future.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2006, Medicare prescription-drug coverage will be available to everyone eligible for Medicare, thanks to the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003. Among the act's major provisions is a program commonly referred to as Medicare Part D, which offers Medicare enrollees an optional outpatient prescription-drug benefit. USG health-plan members who are Medicare-eligible will have to decide whether to continue with current prescription drug coverage provided by the USG health-care plans or enroll in a Medicare prescription-drug plan offered by an outside vendor approved by Medicare. If a member elects the former option, the University System will be eligible to receive a retiree drug subsidy from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to cover its costs in providing health-care coverage to USG retirees.
The Board of Regents' prescription-drug coverage will not supplement Medicare Part D prescription-drug coverage - it is an either/or choice.
The coverage currently provided by the Board of Regents is deemed to be, on average, at least as good as the standard Medicare Part D coverage. This is called creditable coverage.
a & A About Medicare Part D and Creditable Coverage
0: What do I need to do?
A: To continue your current prescription-drug coverage offered by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, you do not need to do anything. You can still use the same pharmacy network, pay the same co-payments you are used to paying, and avoid the Medicare Part D enrollment process.

0: I already get some prescription drugs through Medicare Part A and/or Medicare Part B. Do I still qualify for Medicare Part D?
A: Yes. Medicare Part A is hospital insurance. Medicare Part B is medical insurance to cover healthcare costs such as doctor's services and outpatient care. Although hospitals and doctor's offices do dispense some prescription drugs, only Medicare Part D provides comprehensive prescription-drug coverage.
0: Do I have to enroll in a Medicare Part D plan now?
A: No. You have the option to enroll in one of Medicare Part D's many prescription-drug plans from Nov. 16, 2005, through May 15, 2006, and every year thereafter from Nov. 15 through Dec. 31. However, after May 15, 2006, it may cost you more. Beginning May 16, 2006, if you go for 63 days or longer without some form of Medicare Part D prescription-drug coverage, your monthly premium under a Medicare plan will increase at least 1 percent for each month that you did not have coverage. This increased cost will remain in effect as long as you have Medicare prescription-drug coverage.
0: Why do I need to keep the Notice of Creditable Coverage I received this fall?
A: If you choose to enroll in one of the many Medicare Part D prescription-drug plans after May 15, 2006, you will need to produce the Notice of Creditable Coverage to avoid being charged a late-enrollment penalty, which could raise your premium.
0: What if I lose the Notice of Creditable Coverage?
A: Call or write to your campus Human Resources Office for a replacement copy.
0: If I don't like the Medicare Part D plan I enroll in, can I go back to my old plan with the Board of Regents?
A: If you choose to remain covered by the Board of Regents' PPO/PPO Consumer Choice health plan or the Board of Regents' indemnity health plan while you enroll in a Medicare Part D plan, you may subsequently drop your Medicare Part D coverage and access pharmacy benefits with the Board of Regents plan again. You are not permitted to receive prescription-drug benefits from both a Medicare Part D plan and the Board of Regents at the same time.
Currently, Kaiser Permanente is the only Board of Regents HMO plan offering coverage to Medicare-eligible employees. You can not enroll in the Kaiser Permanente HMO Senior Advantage option, a Medicare Advantage plan and a Medicare Part D prescription-drug plan at the same time. If you participate in the Kaiser Permanente HMO Senior Advantage option and you enroll in a Medicare Part D drug plan, you will be dropped from the HMO altogether.
It is important to compare carefully the prescription-drug coverage provided by the Board of Regents versus the Medicare Part D plans available in your area, including which drugs are covered and the costs involved.
0: Does Medicare provide assistance for eligible individuals living on a limited income?
A: Yes. Visit the Social Security Administration's website at www.socialsecurity.gov or call 1-800-7721213 to learn about the assistance plans available.
0: Where can I get more information?
A: By now, you should have received the handbook "Medicare & You 2006" from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This book contains more detailed information about Medicare plans that offer prescription-drug coverage. For additional information, visit www.medicare.gov, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (numbers are listed in "Medicare & You 2006"). i
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